1000年、ずっとそばにいて…
by kanna-chan94
Summary: Her mission was simple: fight off Dartz and the Leviathan so that the souls of the dead could finally move on to the afterlife. His mission: stop Dartz from taking over the world. Who would have thought that their missions would be so complicated? OC/Yami Yugi
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: This is my first Yu-Gi-Oh fic (yay)! I'm open to constructive criticism. Flames will be used for marshmallows. My OC may have some original cards (her deck isn't finished yet) and if there are original cards, they will be in BOLD and what they are will be at the end of the chapter. So...let's get this show on the road, shall we?**

**One more thing! There will be some abridged series references in here, so keep your eyes out for those. I also plan on including Bonds Beyond Time with this (but that's subject to change).**

**kanna-chan does not own Yu-Gi-Oh.**

* * *

"Everyone," the principal said as he turned to face the students, "we have a new student joining us at Domino High. Please welcome..." the principal turned his head and quickly noticed that the new student wasn't there. "Come on in, don't be shy. No one bites." The new student walked into the classroom and stood next to the principal. Her long light brown hair went down to her waist, and a part of it was in a braid. She had white skin and blue eyes and sported the Domino High School uniform. In her hand was a black rolling backpack. "Please welcome Mayu Yamaguchi. She is in tenth grade. Mr. Carson, I leave her in your hands," the principal said. Mr. Carson, the teacher, nodded.

"Let's see...where to put you," Mr. Carson mused. He gazed around the room and noticed the empty seat next to a boy with spiky tri-colored hair. He had a strange pyramid around his neck. "Mayu, why don't you go sit next to Yugi? He's over there." Mr. Carson pointed at the kid and Mayu nodded. She walked over to the desk next to him and sat down. "I trust you have all your textbooks?"

"Yes, sir," Mayu replied.

"Excellent. Unfortunately, however, the students have a history test today."

"I'm aware. The principal sent an email to my other teachers before I transferred."

"Given that it's your first day-"

"I'll take it."

"Sorry?"

"I said I'd take the test. History was my best subject at my old school; I don't think it would be too much of a problem."

"Did I hear right," Joey asked Tristan. "She actually WANTS to take a test?"

Mr. Carson sighed. "Well...we do have enough copies. Are you sure you're prepared enough?"

"Positive, sir," Mayu replied.

"Very well, then."

Mr. Carson passed out the test, and Mayu's first day of school began. But there was something about the new girl that seemed very odd to Yugi. Something...strange. He shook his head and focused on the test.

* * *

"That was a really hard test," Yugi sighed as he, Tea, Joey, and Tristan got their lunch and sat down at a table in the cafeteria.

"Tell me about it," Tristan sighed. "Something tells me I didn't do so well. I-hey, who's that?" Tristan looked over about two tables down and saw Mayu sitting on her own. She ate a sandwich and had a book in her hand.

"Did you fall asleep again," Tea sighed. "That's the new girl, Mayu. Why don't we ask her to sit with us?"

"I don't know, guys," Yugi said. "She doesn't seem that social."

"Come on, it can't hurt to ask!"

Yugi sighed. "Fine, but you do it, Tea."

Tea walked over to Mayu. "Hi," Tea greeted. Mayu jumped in surprise and looked up from her book. "You're the new girl, right?" Mayu nodded. "I'm Tea Gardner. Nice to meet you!"

"I'm Mayu." Mayu turned back to her book and turned the page.

"So..."

"I'm sorry. It was nice meeting you, but I really have to go," Mayu said. She picked up the remaining half of her sandwich and threw it away before she went back to the classroom. Tea sighed. She walked back to her friends and shook her head.

"It's her first day here," Yugi said. "Maybe she just needs time to adjust."

"Maybe..." Tea sighed. She turned back to the table Mayu was sitting at and noticed her book. "Hey, isn't that Mayu's? She was reading it when I tried to talk to her."

"She must have left it down here by accident. I'll give it to her," Yugi said. "Lunch is almost over anyway, and I want to ask how I did on the test." With that, Yugi walked over to Mayu's table, picked up the book, and went back to the classroom.

Surprisingly, it was quiet on the walk up to the classroom for Yugi. Too quiet. Even Yami wasn't saying anything, and no one was hanging around the halls. "Something's fishy here," Yugi mused as he stopped a few feet away from the door to the classroom.

"So you sense it, too," Yami sighed. "There's something strange about that girl. Mayu, yes?"

Yugi nodded. "I feel it, but I'm not sure what _it_ is. What do you think we should do?"

"Observe, I suppose." Yami shrugged his shoulders. "There's not much else we can do. We don't have-do you hear that?"

"Hear what?"

"Those voices. They're coming from the classroom." Yugi's eyes widened as he walked closer to the classroom and stood next to the door. He turned his head just enough to see Mayu in the classroom. Only...it didn't look like her. She wore a light green kimono with pink flowers on it that was just above her knees. She had a pink flower on each side of her hair, and she wasn't alone. "Dark Paladin," Yugi gasped as he recognized the fusion monster with the teal and gold robes. The other figure in the room was Drill Bug, another duel monster. "What the heck-"

"My mistress," Dark Paladin said, "what is it you require of us?" Drill Bug squeaked and clicked its drill in excitement.

Mayu laughed, "I ask that you observe the one with the spiky hair. The boy named Yugi," she mused as she tickled Drill Bug under its chin.

"Then you feel it, too, yes?" Mayu nodded. "He has something powerful. The-"

"I know, the Puzzle. I'm not stupid." Drill Bug clicked its drill in excitement and Mayu laughed. "Very funny, Drill Bug. Do you honestly think that I plan on-what's wrong?" Drill Bug jolted before he drilled under the ground. "What the heck? Where'd he go? He must've-"

"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAaaaaaaa aaah," Yugi screamed as he was knocked off of his feet by Drill Bug.

"That's Yugi's voice," Mayu sighed. "Mortals. So annoying. Not to mention nosy."

"What will you do, Mistress," Dark Paladin asked as he watched Drill Bug tie Yugi's legs up with his body.

"He knows too much. I'd say erase his memories, but the spirit of the Puzzle will probably get in the way. If I knew of a way to keep the spirit out of it, I would easily erase his memories, but-" Mayu was cut off as a hole appeared in the ground. Drill Bug came out of it, and Yugi was dragged along. "Well done, Drill Bug. You've found us a spy."

"What the hell-" Yugi shouted.

"Shut up," Mayu growled. She glanced at Drill Bug and said, "Let him up. I'll take it from here." Drill Bug whined. "Do it!" Reluctantly, Drill Bug unraveled itself from around Yugi's legs and went to stand (sit?) by his mistress. Yugi looked up at Mayu in fear as she sighed. "You mortals are all the same," she sighed. "Annoying, nosy...I knew there was a reason I didn't like mortals."

"What are you-" Yugi was cut off by the sound of gasps from his friends, who had just made it to the classroom.

"M-Mayu," Tea gasped. "What the heck-"

"Now what, Mistress," Dark Paladin asked. "They know too much."

"No we don't," Joey shouted.

"They've seen too much," Dark Paladin continued. "I'd say erase their memories-"

"Just what I was thinking," Mayu smiled. She tickled Drill Bug under his chin before she got up to her feet. Mayu took a deep breath and closed her eyes. She thrust her arms out to either side and a harsh gust of wind came into the room. Pink flower petals flew everywhere. Yugi and his friends did the best that they could to shield themselves from the wind. When the wind died down, the petals vanished, and so did Mayu.

And Yugi and his friends remembered every second of what just happened.

* * *

"What do you mean 'it didn't work,'" Dark Paladin yelled at Mayu as she got out a bowl from the cabinet and filled it with dirt from a nearby flowerpot. Mayu, the paladin, and Drill Bug made a small shed not too far away from the Kame Game Shop their home. While there weren't some of the basic necessities, it was good enough for the three of them to call home.

"I mean," Mayu replied, "it didn't work." She put the bowl of dirt in front of Drill Bug, who happily started to devour his dinner. "Nothing left their heads. NOTHING. That pesky pharaoh is really starting to get on my nerves." Mayu sighed. "And here I thought that the only one the Pharaoh would be able to shield from my spell would be Yugi. I haven't heard of a spirit shielding multiple people at once. Not only that...none of them should have been able to see me in my true form."

"Why do you think they could?"

"I'm not sure."

"What will you do now?"

"No idea. This shed is too cramped, though."

"We just got here. Are you having...what is it the humans call it...mood see-saws?"

"They're mood swings, and no. Something feels...wrong. Dark, almost. Like there are vaguely evil forces screwing around. We should leave."

"But we have to stay-"

"I mean relocate our shelter. It's too cramped in the-" Mayu was cut off by a scream. "What was that?" Mayu ran out of the shed and saw a little girl in a white hospital gown being chased by a dark shape that she couldn't quite see. She could easily see that the girl was dead, though. Rather, the girl had been dead for a while, and her spirit couldn't go on to the afterlife. The girl's spirit was being chased by a demon in crystal-green armor. The demon had purple skin, red eyes, and a green pentagram that looked all too familiar to Mayu on its forehead.

It was the Seal of Orichalcos.

"Dammit," Mayu cursed. "Up to your old tricks again, old friend? Looks like I'll just have to stop you."

"Friend," Dark Paladin asked.

"It's a long story that we _really_ don't have time for right now. Drill Bug, I want you and Dark Paladin to buy me time. I'm going to get the girl to safety. I-" Mayu hissed in pain as she grabbed her shoulder. It felt like she was being branded with a hot poker. Dark Paladin looked on with concern. "Forget about me, just go," she hissed.

"But-"

"Go!"

Drill Bug went under the ground and went straight for the soldier, while Dark Paladin took to the sky and sent spells straight at the Orichalcos soldier. Mayu sighed. The pain was starting to weaken. She ran to the girl and managed to coax her into a good hiding spot. The soldier attacked again, and Mayu cursed. She leaped into the air and attacked the soldier with her powers. Unfortunately, it had no effect. In fact, Mayu's powers, Dark Paladin, and Drill Bug barely made a crack in the soldier's armor. Drill Bug did its best to keep attacking while Mayu and Dark Paladin were knocked to the ground. They struggled to get up and hide somewhere. They quickly hid behind a large bush.

"What is that armor made of," Dark Paladin groaned after being knocked to the ground.

"Orichalcos stone," Mayu replied. "It's virtually indestructible."

"That explains a lot. Now what?"

"Keep attacking, I suppose." Drill Bug squealed as it got thrown upwards from underground. He fell into Mayu's arms and whined in pain. "I know, I know," she whispered as she rubbed Drill Bug's back. That's when she noticed something. Drill Bug's coloring was off. His usual white-tan color was starting to get quite pale. Mayu looked at Dark Paladin and saw that he was turning pale as well. "Not good," Mayu muttered. "Those soldiers have gotten upgrades from last time."

"What do you mean?"

"They're draining our energy. I feel so weak already, and I've barely used any power. You feel that, too, right?"

"I do feel weaker, if that is what you mean."

"We can't afford to retreat, and all we're doing to that thing is attacking it like mosquitoes. I think it would take a few hundred more attacks before it needed a painkiller. I-oh shit." Mayu looked up and saw that the soldier had found their hiding place. It jeered at them before it swung what looked like a cross between a blade and a Duel Disk at them. Mayu held up her hands and created a barrier. She struggled under the strain. "Go..." she struggled to say to Dark Paladin and Drill Bug. "Save...the...girl. Forget...about...me."

"But-"

"That...was...not...a...request." The barrier was already starting to break. "Go!"

Dark Paladin muttered something that Mayu couldn't quite make out before he and Drill Bug went over to the girl. It was a matter of seconds before the barrier broke. The Orichalcos soldier reared its bladed arm back, and was about to swing. Mayu felt so weak; she couldn't even teleport away. Like regular humans, Mayu could be injured and "die," but it would take considerably great power to kill her. Clearly, this Orichalcos soldier had considerably great power. Mayu ducked down on the ground and shut her eyes before she heard a voice shout, "Now I summon...Timaeus!"

"Yugi," Mayu breathed in realization. She hoped that he didn't see her. Timaeus, the great legendary dragon, appeared in the sky and attacked the Orichalcos soldier with a blast of light fired from its mouth. "So...he really is one of the Chosen Warriors." Mayu shakily got back to her feet and watched the soldier disintegrate. Mayu looked at her arm and saw a deep cut that ran down from her shoulder to her elbow. She ignored it and noticed Dark Paladin and Drill Bug coming her way.

"Mistress," Dark Paladin shouted as he ran over to Mayu. He was followed by Drill Bug and the little girl who died.

"I told you to take her to the afterlife," Mayu sighed. The girl's spirit was happily playing with Drill Bug.

"She wouldn't listen to us. Besides, you're the only one who can get someone to the afterlife."

"No! I don't wanna leave," the girl cried. She couldn't have been more than six years old. "I wanna stay here! I want my mommy and daddy!"

Mayu sighed and smiled a sad smile. She knelt down to the girl's eye level and pulled her in for a hug. "If you stay here," Mayu whispered, "more of those big and scary monsters can come after you. You'll never be able to rest."

"But I don't wanna rest! I want my mom and dad!"

"I know you do." Mayu sighed. "I'll tell you what. Give me just a minute here, and then we can go say goodbye to your mom and dad. How does that sound?"

The girl sniffled. "Really?"

Mayu nodded. She got up and asked Dark Paladin to keep an eye on the girl for a couple minutes. There was some business that Mayu had to take care of. She walked across the street into a clearing and looked up. A big, giant, yellow eye that looked like a snake's shone in the night sky. She shook her head and called, "I know you're there. No point in hiding."

Yugi sighed and came out from behind the lamp post. "How did you know it was me," Yugi asked.

"I think you mean 'How did you know it was _us_,'" Mayu replied. Yugi's eyes widened. "I may be dead, but I'm not stupid. I know all about the Puzzle and the other Millennium Items. Nameless Pharaoh, show yourself. Or I shall draw you out of there by force."

"Wait," Yugi said. "Before anything...what was that thing? What are you? What's going on? What was that thing?"

"I shall explain later when we can get to a less...open space."

"Just one thing. Just tell me one thing. I have to know!"

"You know too much already. This is my problem, not yours. I'd stay out of it if I were you."

"Just one thing. Please just tell me-us-one thing."

Mayu sighed. She ran a hand through her long hair and said, "My name is Mayu. I am a Death Princess."

"Death-"

"I've told you too much already. Leave before I get the Pharaoh involved and have to erase both your memories."

* * *

"You're kidding, right," Tea asked. She, Tristan, and Joey were at Yugi's house. Apparently, they all went to Yugi's house after seeing that giant eye in the sky. Yugi had just explained the events of the previous night to them. "Mayu's..."

"Dead," Joey finished.

"How is this possible," Tristan asked. "And what was that thing in the sky? And the dragon? And the-"

"You mortals just don't know when to shut up, do you," Mayu asked as she appeared from a twister of flower petals. She was flanked by Dark Paladin and Drill Bug. Drill Bug quickly jumped on her shoulder and draped itself around Mayu like a shawl.

"Mayu," Yugi breathed.

"You're a real idiot, Yugi," Mayu growled. "It's bad enough that you're involved, but getting _them_ involved?" Mayu glared at the others before she turned to Yugi and sighed. "I hope you're happy. You've gotten yourselves into some pretty deep trouble."

"Who are you," Joey asked. "What are you? And what were those things?"

"That demon from a little while ago...that was an Orichalcos soldier."

"Orichalcos soldier," Yugi asked. The pharaoh appeared beside him in his spirit form.

"Nyeh, what is that, nyeh," Joey asked.

Mayu glanced at Yugi. "Does he always say 'nyeh'? I just met him and he's already starting to piss me off."

"Brooklyn rage," Joey growled.

"Shut it," Mayu growled. "Orichalcos soldiers are the creations of a dragon known as the Great Leviathan, a dragon with great power, and also known as the Orichalcos god. Ten thousand years ago in Atlantis, it was resurrected by a man named Dartz through the use of human souls. It was sealed away by three legendary dragons, and Atlantis sank to the bottom of the sea in the process. Timaeus," Mayu picked the Timaeus card up from the ground, "Hermos, and Critias. However, the dragons were turned into crystal statues. Yugi has managed to free one of the dragons, Timaeus. As for the other two..." Mayu trailed off.

"You don't know," Tristan supplied.

Mayu shook her head. "I've traveled the world for almost six thousand years like this. This is nothing like I've ever seen before. However...the soldiers are stronger and more intelligent. Remember?"

Mayu looked up at Dark Paladin who nodded and said, "This is not normal. None of this is."

"Nyeh, like that's new," Joey sighed. Tristan scoffed, but Tea, Yami (although only Yugi, Mayu, and Mayu's companions could see him) and Yugi were listening with intent. "After all the weird stuff we've been through, I'll believe anything."

"I have done as much work as I can on trying to figure out who the other two chosen duelists are. Unfortunately, I haven't found anything yet. However, this hasn't just been happening here in Domino," Mayu explained. "Have you heard anything about real monster sightings on the TV?"

"Yeah," Tea replied. "They had this huge thing about how it was happening all over the world and stuff."

"The media managed to make it so that the 'cause' was a duel disk gone haywire. The truth is, however, is that real monsters have been appearing in this world. I'm not sure why. Neither is Dark Paladin or Drill Bug," Mayu said. "However-" There was a knock at the door.

"Excuse me," Solomon Muto said as he walked into the room. He couldn't see Mayu, thankfully. "Yugi, this is for you. It came in the mail."

"Who's it from," Yugi asked.

"I'm not sure. My eyesight's not what it used to be." He handed the package over to Yugi before he walked out of the room. Yugi gasped when he saw the return address.

Tea, Tristan, and Joey jumped up and ran to Yugi. "Hey, what's the matter, Yug," Joey asked.

"Let's see," Tea said. "From the office of Maximillion Pegasus."

There was a moment of silence, before Joey jumped up and shouted, "Pegasus?!"

"Open it up," Mayu said. Yugi took off the paper wrapping and inside of it was a box that had a videotape and a card with a key on it. "Weird. I haven't seen this card before. Have either of you," she asked Dark Paladin and Drill Bug. Both shook their heads.

"Toss it," Tristan suggested. "This is Duelist Kingdom all over again."

"Pegasus wouldn't be contacting anyone if it wasn't important," Mayu sighed. "We should hear what he has to say."

"But this is exactly how Pegasus took Grandpa's soul," Joey countered.

"Look, if no one will put in the tape, I will," Mayu said. And with much protest from Joey, Mayu put the tape in the VCR. And she waited. And waited. And still, nothing happened. "I hate technology," Mayu sighed. "How come it's not playing?"

"You're kidding, right," Tristan asked. "You're, what, six thousand years old, and you don't know how to work a VCR or TV?"

"It's not like I've had access to digital media of any kind during my travels, Tristan. Now, instead of insulting me, you could be nice and help me out."

Tristan muttered something unintelligible before he hit some buttons on the TV and the tape played. A slightly static-y image of Maximillion Pegasus in his office appeared on the screen. "Greetings, Yugi-boy," Pegasus drawled. Mayu looked at Joey who gave her a look that said 'Don't ask.' "It's been so long," Pegasus continued. "You never call, you never write...after all we've been through together, you could at least send an email. Now, unless you've been living under a rock, I'm sure that you've heard about the Duel Monsters running amok in this world of ours. Lucky for me, Kaiba-boy has been taking the blame for this recent state of affairs. Of course, I know who's really behind this."

"Told you we should play it," Joey said.

Mayu glared at Joey before Pegasus continued, "I must stop them! They're ruining the reputation of my game, and I'm afraid that's just not good for business. There is a catch however."

"Of course there is," Mayu sighed. "What was it the Greeks said? 'No such thing as a free lunch?'"

"It's too risky to leave you any information on this tape," Pegasus went on. "So that means you'll have to come see me in person."

"Say what," Joey gasped.

"It's the only way to ensure complete secrecy. And last, but not least, I've enclosed a one-of-a-kind card."

"The key card," Mayu realized. "That's probably why none of us recognized it. If it's one-of-a-kind, it must be pretty important."

"Just make sure you don't lose it," Pegasus shouted. "It's the only way to enter my compound! You must not let them take it! Guard it with your life!" The tape went blank after that last sentence.

"I trust you'll be going, then," Mayu said to Yugi.

Yugi nodded. "I am," he replied.

"Good. I'm going, too."

"Do you have a deck? A duel disk?"

"Of course," Mayu replied.

"Do you know how to work your duel disk," Tristan asked.

"Of course I know how to work a duel disk," Mayu answered angrily. "I may not know how to work some modern technology, but I know how to work a duel disk. I'm dead, not stupid."

"Sheesh, it was just a question."

"Count us in," Joey said pridefully for himself, Tristan, and Tea. "But wait...why are you going, Mayu?"

"I know more about this than all of you combined. Not only that, but I have an...old friend who I should pay a visit," Mayu replied. "Go home, get some rest, pack up, you know the drill." Drill Bug gave Mayu a pointed look. "Don't look at me like that, Drill Bug! You know that's not what I meant!" Drill Bug continued to glare. "All right, fine. I'm sorry for using the wrong word. Happy?" Drill Bug clicked its drill in happiness. Mayu sighed. "Whatever. Pack up. We leave tomorrow, bright and early."

Joey, Tea, and Tristan walked out. Mayu sighed. "You really had to get them involved in this, didn't you, Yugi," she asked with her back facing him. She looked out the window at the night sky. "Mortals...I hope you realize how much danger you're putting them in."

"They can handle it," Yugi said.

"Right. You know, that's what the last mortal I met told me. 'I can handle it, Mayu,' he said. And look where we are today."

"I-"

"Look, I'm not going to make you tell them that they can't go. I'm just saying they shouldn't." Mayu opened the window in Yugi's room and started to leave.

"Wait," Yugi called. Mayu stopped. "Don't you have anywhere to stay?"

"Why should you care," Mayu asked. "I'm dead. You barely know me."

"Anything's better than staying out in the cold."

"I've been in a _shed_,thank you very much."

"A shed?"

"I've lived in worse, believe me."

"You could stay here."

"Yugi," Yami said. He was surprised at this sudden outburst.

"I know it's asking a lot of her, Pharaoh, but she seems to know a lot. Maybe she can give us answers about your past."

"I can hear you, you know," Mayu sighed. She turned around. "I can hear everything he's saying. Mainly because he's a spirit. That, and you're saying everything out loud, Yugi. If you want to have conversations to yourself, try _not_ talking out loud."

"So will you stay or not," Yugi asked.

Mayu sighed. She exchanged a look with Dark Paladin who shrugged. She then turned to Drill Bug who jumped up on her shoulders. "I guess we'll stay. But just for tonight," Mayu decided. "After this whole thing is over, I'll decide my own living arrangements."

"Fair enough," Yugi said. "And-"

"I do have answers," Mayu replied, "but now is not the time for answers. The Pharaoh's spirit is not ready to leave this world yet, and I'm not about to force it to be ready."

"But-"

"These things take time, Yugi. When the time is right, I'll tell you. But that time is not-AGH," Mayu hissed. She grabbed her shoulder in pain.

"Mistress," Dark Paladin said. He jumped over to Mayu's side. "Is it..."

"It is," Mayu growled through the pain. "He got another one."

"What's going on," Yugi asked. "Who got another what?"

Mayu turned to Dark Paladin. The question didn't even need to be asked before Dark Paladin answered, "My mistress does know about this evil. What she did not tell you or your friends was that she knows the man responsible for it personally. While she traveled in Atlantis, the man responsible became her tutor in the ways of magic and science. However, it was a year later when the Orichalcos arrived. He became tainted by it, and branded my mistress with this." Dark Paladin took great care in pulling down a small portion of the back of Mayu's kimono. On her left shoulder was a brand in the exact shape of the Seal of Orichalcos. "When my mistress is within the vicinity of a soul being taken, this mark causes her pain. The only good thing about it is that it allows her to see whose soul is being taken."

"It's nobody we know," Mayu reassured Yugi when the pain ceased. "Go to bed. I'll sneak into another room and sleep there. I need to make a phone call first." Mayu got up and walked out of the room into the room next to Yugi's, which looked like an office. She heard snoring, which had to belong to Yugi's grandpa. She had to make one phone call first. Mayu assumed her civilian form and took out her cell phone. She pushed a couple of buttons, before the person on the other end answered.

"Do you have any idea what time it is, Mayu," the person on the other end asked in a sleepy voice. "It's 3 A.M. Who the hell-"

"Great to hear your voice, too," Mayu said. "I need you to do something for me..."

* * *

**A/N: I was debating on whether this should take place during Season 2 or Season 4, but I think I made a pretty good decision with Season 4. Rather, I hope I did. I had another YuGiOh story planned, but I'm just going to put that one into this one and take it from there. I know this has a lot of elements from _Bleach_, but as the story goes further, that will change.**

**Anyway...who do you think the person on the other end of Mayu's phone call is? I'd give you a hint, but if I did, you'd easily guess, and I like leaving my readers guessing!**

**What I will do is give you a small preview of Mayu's deck. It's a spellcaster deck. That's all I'm saying. Some cards will be original, others won't. I'm open to criticism, but flames will be used for marshmallows.**

**Bye for now! Reviews are love! ~kanna**


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N: OK...I know the summary doesn't sound that interesting (and I'll work on that), but really? Two reviews? -sad- Well, I'll keep writing this anyway.**

**Any original cards will be in BOLD font.**

**kanna-chan does not own Yu-Gi-Oh in any way, shape, or form. kanna-chan also doesn't own Yu-Gi-Oh: Abridged (saying that because there will be YGOTAS references throughout the story).**

* * *

"Have I ever told you how much I absolutely hate airplanes," Mayu asked Yugi as they went to meet Yugi's friends at the gate in the airport. "In my day, we rode horses everywhere, or even walked. Airplanes are annoying. They smell like old people."

"You're old," Yugi countered.

"You know what I mean," Mayu sighed. "I-" Mayu's phone rang. "Just a sec." Mayu answered, "Hello?"

"Where are you, Mayu," the person on the other end asked.

"Would it kill you to relax? Our flight hasn't even left yet. We're not even supposed to be there until tomorrow. Keep your hair on," Mayu said.

"Sheesh. Whatever; just tell Yugi he owes me big time. So do you."

"Yeah, yeah. Will do. See you soon." Mayu hung up.

"Who was that," Yugi asked.

"A friend who's picking us up at the airport in California."

"But Pegasus-"

"I had arranged for the transportation beforehand. Not that I don't trust Pegasus, but right now, the only people that we can trust are each other."

"Yugi! Mayu," Joey called as he, Tristan, and Tea ran up to them with their luggage in tow. "It's time to go; they want us to put our luggage on the plane so we can take off as soon as possible."

Mayu cursed in Japanese as she followed the others to the plane in silence. "Mistress," Dark Paladin asked telepathically. "Are you sure that your friend picking you up is-"

"Positive," Mayu replied. "She's good. She'd never join up with Dartz. After all," Mayu took a card out from her deck and looked at it, "the wind hasn't taken her to Dartz yet." The card was Harpie Lady.

"Your flight on Air Pegasus One will be an overnight flight," a voice said over the intercom. "Please, fasten your seat-belts and enjoy your flight. Your lunch will be served shortly."

"Lunch," Joey sighed. "I'm STARVING!"

"You're always hungry," Tea mentioned.

"Yeah, but-hey, how come Mayu gets her own food," Joey whined as he saw Mayu take out a lunchbox.

"Because I brought my lunch. Packed it before we left. I don't like airplanes," Mayu replied.

"Why?"

"They smell bad, and the food isn't that good."

"So," Tea said, "we should be there in a few hours. It's an overnight flight. How are we going to pass the time?"

"Well," Yugi answered, "we could either play a card game-"

"Without super-advanced holograms," Mayu asked. "Are you out of your mind?"

"Or we can flashback to the previous chapter before Mayu arrived in an attempt to save the writer, kanna-chan94, time and money," Yugi finished.

"Wouldn't that just piss off all the readers and send this story's ratings plummeting even further to the ground," Tristan asked.

"Yep," Yugi answered.

"Let's do it."

* * *

Yugi and his friends were shocked to find out that the person picking them up was actually Mai Valentine. Apparently, Pegasus had sent her a similar message. Although she didn't entirely believe all of the magic 'hocus-pocus b.s.,' she had time on her hands and said that she wanted a little adventure. Mayu sat up front with Mai, and Yugi and his friends squeezed into the back. "So how do you know each other," Tea asked.

"I was in Korea for a while," Mayu explained. "Mai had managed to find her way there and I got her out of a tight spot. We kinda became friends since then."

"But I thought you didn't like mortals," Yugi asked.

"I don't. I just make exceptions every now and then. Oh, look, we're here." Sure enough, the front door to Industrial Illusions Headquarters was right in front of them. The group got out of the car and walked to the doors. Mayu knocked. "Hello? Anyone in there? Pegasus? Croquet? Anyone?" No answer.

"That can't be good," Tristan mumbled.

"Really? What gave that away, Tristan," Joey asked sarcastically. "The fact that no one answered, or the fact that there isn't a single booby trap in sight."

"Maybe it's a holiday," Tristan said.

"If that were the case," Mayu replied, "then I shouldn't be able to do this." Mayu pushed the doors wide open. She walked inside, and was quickly followed by Mai and Joey. "Come on. Maybe the phones are working." The rest of the group went inside.

Tea ran over to one of the phones and picked it up, only to find that it wasn't even ringing on the other end. She gasped, "Hey, guys, the phones aren't working!"

"I can't get cell reception out here," Mai sighed. "Can you, Mayu?"

"Nothing," Mayu answered. "Something makes me think that whoever it was that was after Pegasus may have already found him."

"So they're expecting-" Yugi was cut off as the sound of metal on metal made him turn around. What looked like steel bars that were in a checkered pattern came down over all the entrances.

"We're trapped," Tea cried.

"Really, Tea," Mayu asked, "I never would have guessed. Mortals." Mayu rolled her eyes as she prepared to use her powers. "I'll get us out of here." Unfortunately, the moment she was about to use her powers, an instant wave of electricity hit her, and she yelled in pain. "I can't use my powers," Mayu gasped. "It's like there's some kind of magical barrier around this place."

The sound of a motorcycle was getting louder and louder as it got closer and closer. Everyone turned around as a motorcycle jumped off of the upper landing and landed on the ground. It was a girl. She wore a black leather jacket with black pants and black leather boots. The outfit was complete with black biker gloves. Mayu exchanged a nervous glance with the others, before she turned back to the figure who took off her helmet and shook out her long, red-brown hair. Joey gasped, "Serenity?!"

"Who's that, his girlfriend," Mayu asked.

"That's his sister, Serenity," Yugi answered.

"Serenity, what the hell are you doing here," Joey asked in shock.

"What do you think," Serenity snarled. She looked beyond angry. "I'm here to get my payback for you never being there for me. By taking your soul!" Serenity powered up her Orichalcos duel disk and pointed a finger at Joey. "You were a terrible brother! You never made it to my eye operation, and I nearly went blind!"

"But you didn't," Joey pleaded. "I won the prize money at Duelist Kingdom for that operation! I paid for it with all three million dollars! C'mon, Serenity, we're your friends! Heck, I'm your brother! What happened to-"

"To that sweet, helpless little girl who didn't know how to fend for herself," Serenity smirked. "She's gone! And I'm not so helpless anymore. Check this out." Serenity took a card out of her pocket, and on it was the Seal of Orichalcos with Pegasus trapped in it. "Do you think that your 'helpless little sister' could have done that?"

"Start talking, sis!"

"Or else what," a guy with an Australian accent asked. Everyone looked up at the balcony and saw that the Australian guy was a short kid with brown, spiky hair and motorcycle goggles. There was another guy next to him who had blonde hair and whose body resembled that of a gorilla's. "What's the matter, Wheeler? Your little family reunion didn't go the way you expected it?" Joey growled as Valon turned to look at Serenity. "Serenity, how come you're keeping all of them to yourself? How about letting us have a little fun?"

"Mind your own business, Valon," Serenity said. "Besides, we're not here to duel. We're here to give them a warning."

"Warning," Yugi asked. His voice had changed; it had gotten deeper. Mayu quickly assumed that Yugi had switched with the spirit inside of the puzzle. "About what?"

"Just that Master Dartz will be expecting you soon," Serenity smirked. "Rather, he'll be expecting to see your souls on his wall. In the meantime..." Serenity snapped her fingers and the lights went out. Mayu cursed to herself. The sound of big feet and clanking armor was heard throughout the room. When the lights came back on, the room was filled with Orichalcos soldiers. Serenity, Valon, and the blonde, gorilla-like boy had all left.

"Dammit," Mayu cursed. "We're outnumbered."

"Now what," Mai asked.

"Mai, get everyone out of here. I can handle-" The lights went back out. "Yeah...on second thought, just do your best to find somewhere safe to hide. I can handle these guys."

"How are you going to fight something you can't see," the spirit of the puzzle asked through Yugi's body.

Although they couldn't see it, Mayu smiled and said, "I don't need to see." Although it hurt, she transformed into her Death Princess form. She reached into her kimono for something before attaching it to her sash. It was a set of bells. Mayu held out her right hand, and a long, thin object appeared in it. She closed her eyes and took a deep breath. The lights, although dim, came back on.

"What the heck does she think she's doing," Tristan yelled.

"Trust me," Mai said. "She knows what she's doing. We need to go hide."

"Where," Tea asked. "In case you haven't noticed, there's soldiers everywhere!"

Mai quickly looked around and saw a small area that was in a corner. It was out of the line of sight of the soldiers. "Over there," she pointed. The group ran over and watched Mayu. The soldiers still hadn't attacked. It was evident, however, that the object Mayu was holding was a rod of some sort. It was extremely long. One of the soldiers yelled and ran up to her. The bells on her sash chimed, and Mayu used her flute like a sword and took the soldier down. He wasn't dead, but it was powerful enough to knock him out. "No way," Joey and Tristan gasped.

"She's using the soundwaves of the bells on her sash to sense where the soldiers are coming from," Yugi realized.

"What about that rod," Tea asked.

No answer from anyone. One by one, the soldiers fell back and retreated. "Incredible," Yami said telepathically. "Where did she learn to fight like that?"

"No idea," Yugi replied in the same way.

* * *

"Mayu, that was-how did you-" Joey was at a loss for words. They had all made it out of Industrial Illusions HQ in one piece. Apparently, a friend of Yugi's, Duke Devlin, managed to hack into the Industrial Illusions computer system, and it opened the security gates. He waited right outside Industrial Illusions HQ until the hack was finished and everyone got out. Mayu was quickly introduced to Duke and got up to speed with things that were going on that she didn't know about.

"Long story that we don't have time for right now," Mayu replied. She had resumed her civilian form, and her energy was drained from the battle. That barrier preventing her from using her powers had definitely taken a toll on her strength and energy. "What's that?" Mayu pointed at the sky, where a Blue Eyes White Dragon jet was making its descent. Joey continued to stare at the ground. He was still upset about Serenity teaming up with the punks that were stealing people's souls.

Joey looked up and groaned, "Oh, great, it's Rich Boy."

"'Rich Boy?'"

"Well, well, well, if it isn't the dweeb convention," Seto Kaiba sighed as he walked out of the jet towards Yugi, Mayu, and everyone else. Seto was followed by Mokuba. "What's with the down expressions? I would have assumed you'd be groveling for mercy at my feet by now, Wheeler."

"Shut it," Mayu growled.

"Whatever, don't answer that," Kaiba replied. "Have you seen Pegasus?"

"Someone got here before we did," Yami replied. Again, he had switched with Yugi. "They took his soul with a magic card known as The Seal of Orichalcos. Do you know anything about it?"

"Yeah," Mokuba piped up. "Seto just wiped the floor with this one guy who played it! The duelist pretended to be Pegasus and forced us to go to Duelist Kingdom and duel him."

"And then he ran away," Kaiba sighed. "So we're here to get answers. Whoever captured Pegasus is trying to take over my company, and that's unacceptable."

"Pegasus did say that someone was after him," Mayu recalled. "Remember that video? There was that one card; it had a picture of a key on it."

"Probably a clue," Yami said.

"There was a door that wouldn't unlock, even when I hacked into the system," Duke realized.

"Take us there," Kaiba ordered.

"Whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa," Tristan said. "Who invited you?"

"I invited myself. Haven't you heard my motto? Screw the rules, I have money! Whatever; I don't have to waste my time talking to dweebs like you. Wait..." Kaiba quickly looked at the entire group and noticed Mayu for the first time. "Who're you?"

"Mayu Yamaguchi," Mayu replied. "You're Seto Kaiba, right?"

"I like her already," Kaiba muttered. "Let's get going."

* * *

Duke led the group to the top floor of Industrial Illusions HQ, where a locked door with a card reader stood in front of them. "This is it," Duke said. "That's the one door I couldn't open. All we have to do is figure out how to open it with a Duel Monsters card."

Yami swiped the key-card through the card reader and the door opened to reveal a large, dark room. "So," Tristan trailed off, "who wants to go in first?"

"Nyeh, maybe we should draw straws," Joey suggested.

"Dorks," Kaiba muttered. He walked ahead with Mokuba into the room.

"Here's an idea," Joey said. "Let's close the door and run." Mayu jumped up and whacked Joey across the back of the head before she followed the Kaiba brothers into the room. "It was just a thought!" Mayu sighed and rolled her eyes as the rest of the group followed her into the room.

The lights came on as the group went in. When the lights came on, they revealed a room full of larger-than-life size Duel Monsters-all of Pegasus's favorite Toons. There was a huge version of Toon World in the center. "I hate Toons," Kaiba muttered.

"You and me both," Mayu sighed. That's when she heard something that sounded like some kind of buzzing. It looked like a cell phone with a small projection device at the end of it. "What's this?" She held it up and showed it to Kaiba.

"Looks like some kind of projector phone," Kaiba said. He pointed it at a wall, and Pegasus appeared. Rather, a hologram of Pegasus appeared.

"Yugi-boy," the hologram of Pegasus greeted. "Welcome to my private room. I hope you like it. I did all the interior decorating by myself, and isn't it impressive?"

"Get over yourself, Pegasus," Tristan growled. A whack on the arm from Tea told Tristan to shut up.

"Anyway, Yugi-boy," the Pegasus hologram continued, "if you're hearing this, it can only mean that the people who were after my soul have captured me. You see, this all began when someone tried to buy out my company."

"Yeah, and I got dragged in when someone tried to buy out my company, too," Kaiba said. "The point?"

"There is an individual, Dartz, who possesses a power greater than anything I have ever seen," continued the Pegasus hologram. "We're all in danger. Dartz plans to use my game to destroy civilization! He must be stopped!"

"No shit, Sherlock," Mayu muttered.

"The key to taking Dartz down is somewhere in this room," Pegasus said. "The organization Dartz is a part of is called Paradius. It's a very rich and secret organization that has operated behind the scenes for thousands of years. Think about it: was the rise and fall of Rome really an inevitable result of history? Who provided the funds for exploration during the Sailing Age? Were the various popular revolutions spontaneous actions of the people? Who gave Napoleon his power? Who provided the investment for the Industrial Revolution and the Renaissance?"

"Dartz," the group said together.

"Ever since my retirement began," Pegasus continued, "I furthered my studies of the ancient Egyptian origins of Duel Monsters. I discovered that these creatures had actually existed long before the pyramids were built."

"In Atlantis," Yami recalled.

"That's where Dartz comes in," Pegasus added. "He's trying to resurrect the most terrifying beast that ever roamed the earth, the Great Leviathan, by draining the souls of man and beast in order to build up its strength."

"Didn't that weird bearded guy say something about a monster waking up from its sleep," Tristan asked. Yami nodded.

"You're our only hope," Pegasus told Yugi. "I've created an exclusive card just for you and hidden it somewhere in this room. Think strategically: where would you go to get extra cards?"

"Pot of Greed," Mai realized. "That lets you draw extra cards!" Tristan ran over to the larger-than-life sized Pot of Greed and reached inside, only to pull out...a blank card.

"Worthless," Kaiba said.

"Only you can save the Duel Monsters," Pegasus said. The hologram broke up and disappeared.

Kaiba picked up the phone, only to hear a voice say, "This device will self-destruct in T minus 20 seconds." The phone blinked before a countdown started.

"Well, so much for getting out of here safely," Mai sighed. "How are we going to get out of here? We can't use the-"

"We're wasting time," Mayu yelled. She grabbed onto Mai's wrist and ran out to the hallway. "Follow us!" Mai looked at Mayu and nodded. The two jumped out the window and landed safely on the ground.

"She's kidding, right," Tristan asked. "There's no way I-"

"Eat it, nerds," Kaiba yelled as he followed the girls. He was quickly followed by Mokuba, then Yami, and then Joey. Tea gulped, before she jumped out of the window and was quickly followed by Tristan. Kaiba quickly vanished from everyone's sight as he and Mokuba ran into the Blue Eyes White Dragon jet and flew off.

"Well, there goes our ride," Tristan sighed.

"So now what," Tea asked.

"I say we go rescue Serenity from those goons," Joey growled.

"We can't do that," Tristan pointed out. "Those guys left without so much as an address."

"We can go to my place," Duke suggested. "We could chill out there, come up with a plan, and maybe play some Dungeon Dice Monsters. There's room for all of us in my car."

"Doesn't Professor Hawkins live near you," Joey recalled. "He might know something. We have to get Serenity back." With that, the group all piled into Duke's car and drove off into the distance.

* * *

**A/N: One world: daaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaamn. Really, words cannot describe how I felt writing this chapter. I don't even know why I put Serenity on the Orichalcos side, and now I feel so bad!**


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N: AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH ! I AM THE HAPPIEST GIRL IN THE WORLD RIGHT NOW! Why, you may ask? Because...I've entered into NaNoWriMo (National Novel Writing Month)! So...starting November 1...I will begin my first novel! I kinda have a couple ideas in mind already, but I still have time to brainstorm/write a few drafts/etc., but I'm so pumped!**

**Anywho, enjoy your chapter.**

**Quick point: I have no idea how old Serenity is (looks like she's somewhere in her teens), so I'm just guesstimating.  
Quick point #2: Any tuner monsters will be treated as regular effect monsters. They'll still have their effects, but there won't be any synchro summoning. If I do include a synchro monster, it will be changed so that it's just a really powerful effect monster (or normal).  
Quick point #3: NO XYZ MONSTERS! I really wish I could include them, but I probably won't until (and if) I do Bonds Beyond Time.**

**kanna-chan does not own Yu-Gi-Oh, Yu-Gi-Oh: Abridged, or any cards created by either series. You know who they belong to. Any original cards will be in BOLD font and have their info listed at the end of the chapter.**

* * *

"How long has it been," Mayu complained. The sun had gone down and it felt like everyone had been sitting in a car that was CLEARLY built for five or less people for an eternity.

"It's been a couple hours," Mai sighed.

"Feels like an eternity. And I know what that feels like."

"Duke, is that it," Tristan asked as he pointed to a light that shone brightly in the distance. "Up ahead over there."

"That's it," Duke replied. "But something doesn't look right." He pulled up to the light, which revealed a motor-home. Rather, what was a motor-home. Something came in and blew everything to smithereens. There was wreckage everywhere.

"What happened," Mayu asked as she looked at the scene. She telepathically told Dark Paladin and Drill Worm to search the area for any dark energy and get rid of it before she told them to report back when they were finished. The two spirits left as a small girl with blonde hair and glasses who was dressed in a red shirt, brown vest, and a jean skirt ran up to Yugi and flung herself at him.

"Yugi," the girl cried. "They took him! They took Grandpa!"

"We'll find him, Rebecca," Yugi said comfortingly.

Rebecca looked up at the rest of the group. "Who are you," Rebecca asked.

"Mayu Yamaguchi," Mayu introduced herself. "And you?"

"Rebecca Hawkins," Rebecca introduced. "Come on in. I'll fill all of you in on the story." The group entered the motor-home and Tea said something about putting up some tea as everyone else sat down.

"Who would want to kidnap the professor," Tea asked.

"It has to be Dartz," Joey answered. "Who else could it be?"

"I think they were after that," Mayu said as she pointed to a green stone that hung around Rebecca's neck. "That's Orichalcos crystal. That's what Dartz is after."

"How can you be so sure," Duke asked.

"How can you be so stupid," Mayu countered. "This crystal is infused with the power of the darkness in the Orichalcos."

"So why would Dartz want it back in the first place? He already has an incredible amount of power. If anything, we might as well just break in and rescue Hawkins."

"Why must you be so ignorant," Mayu muttered. "This is Dartz we're talking about. He's tens of thousands of years old. It's not like we could just walk in and say 'Hi, we're a bunch of teenagers who know all about your plot to destroy the world, but we're here to rescue some old guy instead.' Dartz would wipe the floor with you before he sent your soul to the Great Leviathan."

"Chances are that the professor didn't have what Dartz was looking for," Yugi said. "If that's the case, Dartz's cronies will probably be coming back."

"So we wait," Mai asked.

"Yep," Joey answered. "So...how about I whip up something to eat?"

"I'm not eating anything you cook," Tea said.

As Duke, Tristan, Joey, and Tea got to work on the food, Yugi and Rebecca walked outside, and Mai and Mayu just sat around and started to talk with each other. "Why do I get the feeling that you know more than you're letting on," Mai asked.

"I don't know what you're talking about," Mayu lied. Truth was, Mayu did know more than what she was letting on. However, she couldn't say anything.

"Liar," Mai said as she playfully shoved Mayu.

"It's just a bad feeling, that's all," Mayu replied. "Something's going to happen tonight. I just don't want to think about what it could possibly be."

"We already know those biker creeps are coming back," Duke said as he came out with plates and started to set the table. "What else could it be?"

"I'm not sure," Mayu answered. She jerked up as Dark Paladin and Drill Bug returned. The two spirits reported that they had seen nothing and there was no dark energy. However, they did see a duelist with wings coming from his back. Mayu thought it was strange before she told the two spirits to observe the duelist and wait for something to happen. The two spirits promptly left. "I never thought I'd say that, but I honestly don't know what this bad feeling is."

"Soup's on," Joey shouted.

"Soup? For dinner," Mayu asked.

"It means that dinner's ready," Mai explained as she laughed at her friend. "Didn't you ever hear that saying?"

"Not really, no," Mayu sighed. "So what's for dinner?"

"Sausages," Joey answered. "And chicken noodle soup."

Mayu sniffed the air. "See, I was right. We _are_ having soup. It smells really good," said Mayu. "I'll go get the others and-"

"No need," Rebecca said as she and Yugi walked inside. "I'm starving! Let's eat!"

* * *

It was a few hours after dinner. Everyone had gone to bed. Except for Mayu, at any rate. She sat outside in her Death Princess form on top of the motor-home as she called Dark Paladin and Drill Bug back to her. She held the long rod that she had used to fight the Orichalcos soldiers from earlier that day in her hands. "Any observations," she asked the spirits when they returned.

"There is something that blocks the identity of the winged creature and the identity of the mortal," Dark Paladin regretfully explained. "There is not much to report." Drill Bug crawled onto Mayu's lap before sliding up and wrappings itself around her shoulders. Mayu tickled it under its chin as Dark Paladin continued, "The one thing we can identify, however, is that the duelist has had a few close calls with Death."

"In what way," Mayu asked.

"I cannot say, mistress. It's as though his entire being is clouded by darkness. The only light that exists in his heart is that winged creature. It is a creature of light and purity."

"Any ideas?"

"None, my mistress."

Mayu sighed. "This is going to be harder than I had initially thought. What do you suggest?"

"I suggest-what is that?" Dark Paladin quickly heard the sound of a horse whinnying and then trotting off into the distance.

Mayu squinted. "A horse. But that's not what I'm concerned about. Look at who's riding it."

Dark Paladin looked and saw that it was Yugi riding off into the distance. "He goes to meet the mortal from earlier. Should we follow?" Mayu shook her head. "It is probably a good idea that we follow him."

"Regardless of whether it is a good idea or not, following him will not change the outcome. A soul will be lost tonight. However, I fear that we must wait. Just a little bit."

"How long?"

"It's difficult to say," Mayu sighed. She twirled the rod in her hands before she stood up. "It won't be long, though. Just keep your senses open for any sign of dark energy."

"We cannot afford to wait like this."

"That is true, but we have no choice."

"There is always a choice," Dark Paladin shouted. "You can choose not to follow him or to follow him! Just like how you can choose from an array of other options!"

Mayu looked up at him in surprise. "You dare to question my position," she asked in an authoritative tone.

"Mistress, we have to follow him! I can sense the dark energy increasing in the distance."

"Regardless, we must stay. At least for the time being. Once the energy level increases-"

"We have to stop him! I can sense that-"

"There is no avoiding the future, Paladin," Mayu growled. "You should know that after all these centuries." Drill Bug cried out in pain. Mayu gently picked Drill Bug up from her shoulders and cradled him in her arms. She looked down. "What's wrong?" Drill Bug clicked its drill in pain as he squirmed. "He senses it," Mayu sighed as her suspicions were confirmed. "Time to go." Mayu closed her eyes and leaped into the air. She flew off and followed the trail of dark energy. She was closely followed by Dark Paladin, who, for the first time in over seven hundred years, felt anger towards his mistress. He wasn't sure why; he normally never felt anything towards his mistress. Although he enjoyed travelling with Mayu and helping her with her duties as a Death Princess, he felt angry with her.

"How far away is our destination," Dark Paladin asked in a voice devoid of emotion.

"By car, it would be about an hour," Mayu guessed. "We're going to Death Valley." She laughed to herself. "It's appropriately named, surprisingly. As for how long it would take us, it should take a little longer than that."

"How so, mistress?"

"While we can control our speed and cars can also, a car can be driven at a speed that would not defy the speed limits of the city in the desert. As for us, while we can fly, there is something slowing us down. A dark energy of sorts. Like some kind of magical barrier."

"It is painful?"

"It doesn't hurt, but it's not exactly comfortable either." The group flew on in silence as the time passed and the sun started to rise in the distance. "It must be early in the morning," Mayu realized.

"Are the others waking up now," Dark Paladin asked.

"Probably," Mayu replied, "but there's nothing we can do about that. Just keep your eyes and ears open for any-"

"And now I activate," a deep voice yelled that cut off Mayu, "the Seal of Orichalcos!"

"We're too late," Mayu gasped. She flew towards the source of the sound and sat up on one of the many cliffs of Death Valley. She got a clear view of the duel, and saw what she dreaded, even though she knew it was coming.

Yami's forehead had the dreaded green Seal on it. There was a red tint to his eyes, and he looked angry. Mayu grabbed onto her shoulder that was branded with the mark of the Orichalcos and hissed in pain. Her eyes widened as she felt a spiritual presence leave the area. "We're the only spiritual beings here, if you don't include the Pharaoh," Mayu hissed, "so who could be leaving?"

"You said if you did not include the Pharaoh," Dark Paladin commented, "but he is the one dueling, correct? So the only other spiritual being here besides us is-"

"Yugi," Mayu realized. "The Seal must have pushed Yugi out of the Puzzle and into G-d knows where."

"Oblivion?"

"No," Mayu shook her head. "I can still sense his spirit, but it's really, really faint. Like it's barely hanging on to this world." The duel continued to go on as Mayu watched Dark Magician Girl, the Dragon Knight defuse into Dark Magician Girl by the power of the Seal. Timaeus was destroyed. "Timaeus and the Orichalcos don't mix," Mayu realized.

"He was tricked," Dark Paladin asked.

Mayu nodded. "I trusted him," she whispered to herself. "I trusted him, and he betrayed me." Silent tears made their way down her cheeks as she looked on at the duel. Yami continued to sacrifice his monsters one by one, until none remained. Then, it was the other duelist's turn. Mayu quickly recognized the other duelist as the blonde one from Industrial Illusions HQ. She got a better look and quickly recognized the duelist. Dark Paladin was right; the blonde one did have close calls with Death.

But that wasn't how Mayu recognized him. She recalled an escort she had to do twelve years ago, when a mother, a father, and a brother and a sister handed Mayu a picture. The family had given her a picture of their eldest son and asked her to watch over him. Mayu thought long and hard about the photo and remembered the face of a boy with blonde hair, blue eyes, and was slightly muscular, but nowhere near as muscular as he was now. The mother said that the son's name was Rafael. Mayu then realized that the photo that the mother gave her was taken twelve years before now. So this was Rafael twelve years later.

It was Rafael's turn in the duel. He drew two cards before he smiled. "I activate the magic card, Celestial Sword," Rafael said. Lightning flashed across the sky as a sword fell down from the heavens. "Next, I summon Guardian Eatos!" An orb of light descended from the sky and it revealed a pair of wings, before it turned into a human shape. A young girl wearing a Native American outfit with a headdress that resembled a hawk's head appeared. She had wings on her back and her arms were outstretched as she landed beside Rafael.

"So that is who we sensed," Dark Paladin realized. "Eatos...old friend...what has happened to you?"

Mayu couldn't bear to watch anymore as the sound of Yami screaming in horror rang throughout the area. She turned around and clenched her fists before she sensed something surprising. A soul was leaving the world, but it wasn't Yami's. It was Yugi's. Mayu wiped her eyes and put on an expression devoid of any and all emotion. She rid herself of any sadness and grief possible. There was only one emotion that she felt at that moment.

That emotion...was anger.

* * *

"Where have you been," Tristan yelled at Mayu as soon as she and Yami arrived at the motor-home. Mayu remained in her Death Princess form as she sighed and ran a hand through her long hair. She used her magic on Duke and Rebecca to allow them to see her in her true form and understand what she had to do without too much of an explanation. "We've been worried sick!"

"I'm dead, Tristan," Mayu sighed. She rolled her eyes. "I think I can handle myself."

"You didn't even tell us where you were going," Tea shouted.

"Yugi didn't either, and I don't see you yelling at him," Mayu countered. Tea was instantly silenced.

Rebecca ran over to Yugi and embraced him. What she failed to notice was the dark expression on his face. "What's wrong, Yugi," she asked.

"Rebecca," Yami sighed, "they got him."

"Got who," Rebecca asked.

"Yugi," Mayu answered. "Yami lost the duel to Rafael. Yami's soul was supposed to be taken away, but Yugi stepped in and sacrificed himself. Now his soul is gone." She turned to Yami. "I hope you're happy, you know," she growled. Yami looked at Mayu in confusion. She held the rod that she used to fight the Orichalcos and pointed it at Yami. "It's your fault. I trusted you, you know. It's been ages since I last trusted a mortal. And believe me, I mean _ages_. I trusted you, and you betrayed me."

"What the heck are you doing," Joey yelled at Mayu as he walked up to her and grabbed her wrist. "You can't go pointing that!"

"You really don't want to get on my bad side, Joey," Mayu growled. "Now leave me alone before someone gets hurt. And that someone won't be me."

"You wouldn't be attacking my best friend for no reason. Sure, he played the Seal, but there's something more. You're hiding something. Now tell me what it is!"

"I do not have to answer to you, mortal. Now let me go."

"I never liked her in the first place," Tristan commented. "You're up to something, and you know way more than the average person should."

"I'm dead, Tristan. Of course I know more than the average person," Mayu said sarcastically.

"It just sends weird vibes that you're up to something. You're nothing but a cheat and a liar and a-"

"SHUT UP," Mayu shouted as vines sprang up from the ground and wrapped themselves around everyone except for Tea, Yami, Mai, Duke, and Rebecca. They lifted Joey and Tristan up into the air and they struggled to break free. What surprised the entire group, however, was how Mayu looked while the vines came up. She looked positively angry, and her normal brown eyes changed to a blood red color. "It's mortals like you that make me sick," Mayu growled in a voice that sounded completely different from her usual voice. It sounded deeper and more hoarse.

Mayu glared at Yami. "You cheated the Orichalcos, and you call yourself the King of Games? You call yourself a good Pharaoh? You-" Mayu gasped as her eyes changed from red to their normal brown color and her expression changed from anger to horror. Her eyes were wide in shock as she saw the extent of the damage that she had done. "What have I done," Mayu whispered in horror. The vines unwrapped themselves from Tristan and Joey as they fell to the ground. Mayu looked at the scene in horror and ran off into the distance.

"Mayu, wait," Mai called to her friend.

"Mistress," Dark Paladin called as Drill Bug whined in protest.

"Don't follow me," Mayu shouted. She vanished into a twister of flower petals and no one knew where she went.

Dark Paladin and Drill Bug exchanged a look before Dark Paladin sat on the ground and sighed. "What was that about," Tristan asked as he rubbed his legs.

"You were out of line in talking to our mistress the way you did, mortal," Dark Paladin growled.

"She knows more than she's letting on. I think I have a right."

Dark Paladin looked at Drill Bug before he said, "You are right in that my mistress knows more than she is willing to share. However, it is her decision as to when she shares said information."

"Can't you tell us anything," Joey sighed. "Just one little thing?"

"I am not at liberty to do so, mortal." Yami sighed in frustration as he walked off. "Where are you going?"

"A walk," Yami answered. "I need to clear my head." The minute that he said that, the wind carried the sound of a flute. Its song sounded so unbearably sad. Yami stopped to listen for a minute before he continued to walk on.

It wasn't long until Yami finally found the source of the sound. It was Mayu. She sat on the edge of one of the cliffs in Death Valley as she played her song. Yami quickly noticed that she was holding the long rod that she had used to fight against the Orichalcos soldiers. He assumed that the rod must have also been a flute. Yami walked over and sat next to Mayu. He listened to her play her sad song and the music catapulted him into an array of thoughts of his unknown past. After one last note, Mayu put her instrument down and sighed. "I told you not to follow me," she said. "Mortals. You're all the same."

"You were a mortal once, were you not," Yami asked.

Mayu scoffed. "Thousands of years ago. And over the years, your race has changed. It almost never ceases to amuse me. You forget, I'm not mortal anymore. I'm not technically even human. This face, this body...these powers...would a normal human have any of this? Would a normal human have a constant struggle with their own humanity every waking moment?" Mayu sighed. "I may look human, but I'm something that's far more advanced. I'm Death. Rather, one of the many who serve under Death."

"You talk about death as if death was a living being."

Mayu looked up at the sky. "In a sense, Death is. Not living, not breathing. Merely...an entity. It's hard to explain, and a mortal such as yourself wouldn't understand. Now, unless you have some interest in hearing an incredibly long explanation about Death, then, by all means, stay. Otherwise, leave."

"I wish to talk."

"You're talking now."

"I let everyone down, especially Yugi. He warned me not to use the Seal. But I let my rage take control, and Yugi paid for my mistake."

"Mistake," Mayu asked incredulously. "_You_ played the Seal. It was _your_ hand that put the card into _your _duel disk, and it was _you_ that was defeated in _your_ duel against Rafael. You say your rage took control? Everyone is responsible for their own emotions. _You_ let _your_ rage take control. This is your fault. You think you let Yugi down? Would it kill you to think about other people for once in your miserable life? Can't you take responsibility?"

"What does it look like I'm doing," Yami shouted as tears of anger went down his face.

"It looks like you're moping around and feeling sorry for yourself. Newsflash: You. Betrayed. My. Trust. I _trusted you_ not to use the Seal. I trusted you to keep your friends-who I _reluctantly_ let tag along, if I may add-safe, and yet you failed to protect one of your closest friends."

"I have taken responsibility, Mayu! What more do you want me to do?"

Mayu sighed. "A wise man in China once told me, 'When the spirit is in control, the body obeys. Look at your demons. They are formless. Listen to your fears, they are soundless. When this moment occurs, your hands will no longer betray you.'"

"Why?"

"The man also said, 'When there is a right path and a wrong path, choosing neither or hiding behind a cloak of neutrality is the same thing as choosing the wrong path.'"

"Why is that?"

"I'll give you the same answer he gave me when I asked him why that was. He said, 'Because the right path will never be explored.'" Yami looked confused. "You'll see what I mean later."

"You're confusing."

"I'm dead. What do you expect?"

* * *

**A/N: Man, oh, man does it feel good to be back. Well, I'm sick (so excuse any and all typos; my throat is killing me), but I did get into my first college! Yay! Anywho, you're going to see one of three OCs next chapter who I would have put in earlier if this fic had started during Battle City. Mayu's deck is going through some final touch-ups (same as Serenity's), but the new OC's deck is ready to go (and I made a few original cards; I feel so very proud of myself). At any rate, we will have our first duel (yay!), Serenity will be given some character background next chapter (how she joined Doma/Dartz, why she seems to hold a grudge against Joey, etc.).**


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N: My super special awesome ultra super...eh, I'm not even going to bother trying to finish that sentence. I tried committing as many of Yugi's "super special awesome" phrases as I could to memory, but that's as far as I got. Especially when there's about 20 different variations. o.O**

**Thanks to Aqua Girl 007 for helping me out with Serenity's age. It means I'll have to tweak a couple things for future chapters (like card games on motorcycles), but that's not a big problem.**

**So, let's get on with it!**

**Do I own anything? Well, given I haven't been able to screw the rules, then the answer to that question is no. I don't own anything (except for any OCs and original cards I throw in).**

* * *

"Mission accomplished, Master Dartz," Rafael said as he walked into the room. He was closely followed by Alister and two people that Serenity recognized. She and Valon sat on either side of Dartz at a long, rectangular table. Dartz had his back to the doorway as he looked at a blank monitor. Valon and Serenity were trying to think of ways to kill time, because Dartz wasn't letting them go on missions. Something about letting emotions get in the way. "The strongest soul on Earth has been captured."

Dartz turned around as Valon and Serenity looked at the doorway to see Rafael, Alister, and two boys. Serenity didn't know the names of the boys who followed Rafael, but she remembered the faces. One had blue hair and bug glasses, and the other had messy brown hair and a red beanie hat. "Unfortunately," Dartz sighed. "You have failed again."

"The soul of the Pharaoh is still out there," Serenity said. "Look." Serenity picked a remote up from the table before she pointed it at the monitor and pressed a button. The monitor sputtered for a minute before an image of the engravings of captured souls became clear. "See," Serenity asked as she pointed to a square in the center. "Instead of the Pharaoh's soul, you got the soul of Yugi."

"A clear case of mistaken identity," Dartz added.

"But how," Rafael gasped. "I dueled the Pharaoh!"

"Both spirits inhabit the same body, you fool! You captured the wrong one! You have no one but yourself to blame for this."

Rafael knelt down on one knee. "I'll fix this, Master. If you'll let me."

Serenity sighed. She was about to say something when those two boys ran up to Dartz and knelt before him. She looked at the two boys incredulously before she asked, "Who're you?"

"What, you haven't heard of us," the brown-haired one asked.

"They're just a couple of wannabe duelists who followed us here," Rafael sighed. The two duelists introduced themselves to Dartz as they made their plea. Rafael smiled. "We debated throwing them off the ladder of the helicopter and into the cliff-"

"Rafael," Serenity gasped.

"I'm kidding," Rafael amended. Serenity glared at him. "Okay, so maybe I _slightly_ considered letting them fall to their untimely deaths. But I didn't actually do it!"

"We're not a crime organization, Rafael," Serenity growled. "You can't just go around _killing_ people whenever you feel like it!"

"Yes, Mom," Rafael replied sarcastically.

"Hey, you guys might want to take a look at this," Alister said as he pointed to the two duelists who were attempting to prove themselves worthy of the power of the Orichalcos. Two Orichalcos crystals were floating in the air as the two boys got their hands closer and closer to them. Finally, they grasped the crystals, and the Seal of Orichalcos formed on two blank cards, one for each of them.

"They actually did it," Rafael gasped.

"Welcome to our family," Dartz said. The two boys followed Rafael into a room where the two boys screamed like small girls in delight. "When they're finished...whatever it is that they are doing, tell them to bring me the soul of the Pharaoh. And of his companion, Joseph Wheeler." Serenity wanted to protest. She wanted to be the one to take down her brother. She didn't want to let a couple of wannabe duelists get in her way! But she couldn't go against Dartz. One look from Valon silenced her instantly. She sighed. "Something wrong?"

"I'm bored," Serenity complained. "It's been AGES since you last sent me on anything. I feel like I've been here for _days_."

"You have," Dartz answered.

"Exactly my point. I want to go out and do something! Get some souls. Please, Master Dartz?"

Dartz sighed. "Fine. Take Valon with you."

"But-" One look from Dartz silenced Serenity. "Fine. Let's go, Valon."

* * *

"These guys want to rule the world," Joey said. "No biggie. We've dealt with that before." Yami managed to bring Mayu back to the Hawkins's trailer, and the others sat in the trailer and finished lunch. Mayu was in her civilian form.

"You haven't dealt with this," Mayu countered. "You don't know Dartz. He's ruthless, powerful...he's like a chemical mixture that makes chaos. Like a time bomb. The soldiers of the Orichalcos aren't just talking about ruling the world, they're actually doing it."

"But we know how to stop them," Duke said. "Go straight to the source and-"

"And what," Mayu interrupted. "In case you haven't noticed, they're after more than just monsters. They're after human souls."

"Right now, that thing's got Yugi," Joey muttered. "I don't know about the rest of you, but I'm sick and tired of just sitting around here. Time to take action!"

"I'm right there with you, Joey," Mai said.

"We're in," Duke and Tristan said together.

"Just one problem," Tea sighed. "We can't fight this thing by ourselves. We need help!"

"Here's another problem for you. We don't have proof. No one would believe us," Rebecca mentioned.

"But we have proof," Tea argued. "In the ruins!"

"Those creeps burned down everything," Rebecca added. She showed everyone an image of destroyed ruins on her computer. "The ruins are...well..."

"Ruined," Mai supplied.

"Don't give up," a voice said. An old man appeared in the doorway.

"Professor Hawkins," everyone except for Mayu, Mai, and Rebecca gasped.

"Gramps," Rebecca gasped as she rushed to her grandfather. "You shouldn't-"

Professor Hawkins ignored his granddaughter and walked towards Yami. "Have you discovered anything else about those thugs," Yami asked the Professor.

"Well," the professor started, "there's a good chance that the thugs are descendants of Atlantis. But who's-"

"Oh, this is Mayu," Rebecca introduced. "She came with Yugi and the others."

"Pleasure to meet you," the professor said as he offered a handshake.

"Likewise," Mayu replied.

"Atlantis," Tea asked. "You mean the lost city?"

"Tea, have you not been listening to a single word I've been saying," Mayu sighed. "Don't you remember what I told all of you before we came here?" A look of realization appeared on Tea's face. "However, what I don't understand is why people would want to destroy what's left of their ancestors' city. I think the ruins are hiding something."

Mayu closed her eyes and thought back to her time in Atlantis. She searched her memory for anything that might be relevant, before she gasped in surprise. "Those ruins revealed the history of Atlantis. It wasn't a pleasant one. Atlantis..." Mayu sighed. "Atlantis was a kingdom where everyone lived in peace. A utopia, if you will. Everything was calm and serene, until one day, when a horrifying creature was called forth from the depths of the earth by an evil king." Yami gasped as Mayu continued, "The king drew his strength from a mysterious stone, which drew its strength from another world."

"You think that the stone is the rock we've been wearing around our necks," Mai asked.

Mayu opened her eyes and shook her head. "That's all I can remember," she sighed. "Whatever else is in the ruins was probably damaged so badly that it's illegible."

"Incredible," the professor said in awe of Mayu's knowledge of Atlantis. "How do you know so much about Atlantis?"

"I take history courses at the local community college," Mayu lied.

Professor Hawkins nodded before he said, "There is a museum in Florida that has copies of some of the inscriptions."

"Well, what are we waiting for," Joey yelled. "Let's go to the sunshine state, find out the secret to beating these punks, and save Yugi!" Everyone nodded in agreement.

"Well, not that that doesn't sound good and fun," Mai started, "but-"

"How are we going to get there," Mayu asked.

* * *

"I'm _bored_," Serenity sighed as she leaned against Valon's motorcycle. The two had stopped over at a cafe to get something to eat and drink and look for passerby duelists. Valon ate his chocolate-chip muffin while he sat on the ground. "It feels like it's been _hours_, and nobody's passed by yet."

"Well, do you want to go back and be bored to death inside," Valon asked, "or would you rather stay here and wait a little longer."

"Frankly, I'd rather just go chasing after someone. I really don't like-" Serenity trailed off as she quickly noticed a short girl with white skin and long, dark brown (almost black) hair. The girl wore a jean skirt, black leather boots, and a white shirt. She also had a duel disk. The girl had just walked out of the shop and walked in the direction opposite where Valon and Serenity were.

"What's up," Valon asked.

"She looks familiar," Serenity whispered to herself. "I just don't remember where I know her from. She has a duel disk, though."

"Want to go after her," Valon asked. Serenity nodded. "Great, let's-"

"Excuse me," a voice said from behind Valon and Serenity. The two turned around and saw that it was the girl that Serenity recognized. "Go after who? Me?" The girl scoffed. "You're those punks that were on the news. I don't know what you're doing, but it ends here."

"She's feisty," Valon mused. "What do you say, Serenity?"

"I say I give her what's coming to her," Serenity smirked. Serenity powered up her duel disk, and the girl did the same.

"But before we do this, I have one thing to say," the girl said. Serenity raised an eyebrow. "Can we do this in the back alley over there?" The girl pointed to an alley behind the shop. "I don't want to scare off customers. It's my parents' coffee shop, and-"

"Yeah, sure, whatever, kid," Valon sighed. He pushed the girl to get her to walk faster while he and Serenity followed her. When they got to the alley, the girl and Serenity exchanged decks and shuffled their opponent's deck. Then, they gave their respective decks back to each other and proceeded to walk away from each other.

"Since I've been bored all day," Serenity said as she drew her hand of five cards from her deck, "and I _suppose_ I can afford to wait a little longer, I'll let you go first."

"My pleasure," the girl growled as she drew one card and added it to her hand. "First, I'll set two cards face down. Next, I'll summon The Agent of Mystery - Earth in Attack Mode!" (1000/100) "When my Agent of Mystery is summoned, I can bring one Agent monster from my deck to my hand." The girl searched through her deck and smiled when she saw the card she wanted. She took the card from her deck and re-shuffled her deck. "Next, I'll activate the magic card, **Agent's Gift**! This card lets me summon one LIGHT Fairy-type monster from my hand, as long as it has four stars or less. So say hello to the Agent of Creation - Venus!" (1600/0)

"Are you done yet," Serenity yawned. "I'm _bored. _Are these _really _your most powerful cards?"

"Shut up," the girl growled. "I'll activate the field spell, The Sanctuary in the Sky, and set two cards. Now I'm done."

"About time," Serenity muttered as she drew a card. "I'll set a monster face down and set three cards face down." The holographic images of face down cards appeared in the Monster and Spell/Trap Zones of the field.

"That's all you got," the girl sneered. She scoffed as she drew a card. "First, I'll activate Graceful Charity, so I can draw three cards and discard two." The girl took three cards from her deck and added them to her hand. She looked through her hand and selected two cards, which she sent to the Graveyard. "Next, I'll remove The Agent of Wisdom - Mercury from the game, so I can summon Master Hyperion from my hand!"_  
_

"Master Hyperion," Serenity gasped as she finally realized who the duelist was when Master Hyperion appeared on the field. "Wait a minute! You're Luna! You were one of the Battle City finalists!"

"About time you recognized me," the girl said. "Took you long enough."

"Well, don't think that you'll win because you were a Battle City finalist," Serenity growled. "I activate my trap card, Solemn Warning. With this card, I can give up two thousand life points to negate your summon." Serenity's lifepoint counter went from 4000 to 2000, and Master Hyperion vanished from the field. Luna cursed under her breath as Serenity continued, "Not so tough without the big guns, are you?"

"Did you really think I'd be stupid enough to summon Master Hyperion without a backup plan," Luna asked. "Please. I'm young, not stupid. Why do you think I activated Graceful Charity. There were two! I remove The Agent of Mystery - Earth from the game so that I can summon my second Master Hyperion!" Another Master Hyperion appeared on the field to replace the old one.

Serenity laughed. "I was anticipating that. I activate the trap card, Trap Hole. It destroys Master Hyperion right on the spot." Luna cursed under her breath as she moved Master Hyperion from her Monster Zone to her Graveyard. "Anything else?"

"I can still Normal Summon, so I'll play Zeradias, Herald of Heaven in Attack Mode." (2100/800) The LIGHT, Fairy-type monster appeared on Luna's side of the field. "Now, my Herald, attack her face-down monster!" Zeradias raised its weapon into the air before he quickly brought it down, and a large shockwave was sent to Serenity's face-down monster, which turned out to be-

"Say hello to Ryko, Lightsworn Hunter," Serenity smirked. The white cat leaped onto Zeradias and bit him so hard. "When Ryko is Flip Summoned-or destroyed while it's face-down-I can choose one card on the field and destroy it."

"Dammit," Luna muttered. She hated Lightsworn decks, and her Agent deck wasn't going to be of much help. Serenity was tougher than Luna realized. "I guess I'll end things there."

"Good," Serenity smirked. She drew a card and smiled. "You know what this card is, don't you, Luna? It's your end! I activate the Seal of Orichalcos!" Serenity opened up the Field Spell slot in her duel disk and placed the card in there. Luna's field spell, The Sanctuary in the Sky, was destroyed, and the green seal descended from the sky. It made its mark on the ground as the same seal appeared on Serenity's forehead. She looked angrier, and her eyes had a red tint to them.

"This isn't good," Luna muttered to herself.

"Now, let's kick things up. I play Lyla, Lightsworn Sorceress in Attack Mode!" (1700/200) "And thanks to the Seal, she gets a power boost of five hundred more attack points!" (2200/200) "Now, Lyla, attack The Agent of Creation - Venus!" Venus was instantly destroyed and Luna took six hundred points of damage. Serenity laughed. "That's enough damage for now. You won't be in this duel much longer, and I'd rather prolong your eventual defeat."

**Luna: 3400** **lifepoints**  
**Serenity: 2000 lifepoints**

* * *

Yami had barely said a word all day. Between going to the train station and getting on the train, he was as quiet as anyone had ever seen him. He stared at the ground in misery as everyone bade their farewells to Duke. Duke was staying behind to look after Rebecca and her grandfather. Yami recalled how badly Rebecca had wanted to go with them, but her grandfather wouldn't let her.

Once on the train, Joey and Tristan hit the dining car, while Yami, Mayu, Mai, and Tea took seats across from each other. Yami and Tea sat across from Mayu and Mai. Mai was showing a fashion magazine to Mayu, but Mayu really didn't have much of an interest. Yami, on the other hand, didn't show any interest in...well, anything, really. Tea kept trying to get his attention in various ways, but nothing worked. Eventually, Yami excused himself from the group and got up from his seat. He walked away from the group down the aisle. Tea looked concerned and a little hurt. "There's nothing you can do," Mayu sighed as she looked out the window.

"He needs to be alone," Mai added.

"That's the problem," Joey explained as he and Tristan joined the group with their sodas and chips. "He is alone. But he's gonna be all right, because we're gonna rescue Yugi!"

"There's one problem with that, though," Mayu sighed as she flipped her hair over her shoulder. "I think Yami knows that that's what we're going to do. He just isn't convinced that we _can_."

"Are you," Mai asked.

Mayu sighed. "Dartz is...well...an interesting story. I understand the concept of taking souls, but rescuing them and bringing them back to the world of the living...that has never been done before."

"So it's hopeless," Tristan yelled.

"I never said that," Mayu replied. "I just said it has not happened before. Yugi's soul isn't dead, so to speak, so there is a chance that we can save it. I don't know what the-" Mayu trailed off as she looked around the train car and noticed all the passengers were missing. "What happened to all the passengers?" Joey and Tristan ran down the aisle to the stairs so they could check the upper level of the train. When they came back down with horrified expressions on their face, it was evident that Mayu's worst fear was confirmed: there was no one on the upper level either. "Keep looking," Mayu instructed.

Yami finally returned, and Tristan quickly filled Yami in on the situation. "If you ask me," Joey growled, "I'd say those same slime balls are behind this. The whole train ride is probably another trap!" Yami adopted a fierce look on his face as he ran off to find the 'slime balls.' Mayu took off after him, and she was quickly followed by Mai and the others. Yami and Mayu crossed over to the next car, and the others tried to follow them, before the cars all started to disengage. "Dammit," Joey yelled.

Tea tried to leap in an attempt to follow Yami and Mayu, but she was restrained by Tristan and Joey. It was too far to jump. "Get help," Yami shouted as the train car that he was in with Mayu got further and further away. Mayu cursed in Chinese as she looked around. The whole train ride was indeed a trap. But how come she didn't sense anything? "Look for more passengers," Yami told Mayu. She nodded as she went up and down the aisle of the car, before she went upstairs. "Why are you going up?"

"There might be a way to get to the engine and stop the train," Mayu said as she climbed a ladder to get to the roof of the engine. "Come on."

"And just where do you think you're going," a nasally voice sneered as soon as Mayu reached the roof of the engine. It was a boy with blue hair, bug eyes, bug-like glasses, and...well, bug-like clothing.

"Weevil Underwood," Yami growled as he got out of the hatch and joined Mayu on the roof of the speeding train.

"I want a rematch, Pharaoh," Weevil sneered. Mayu gasped as she noticed the Orichalcos duel disk on Weevil's arm.

"Who put you up to this," Yami asked.

"Nobody," Weevil smirked. "It's just time to try out my new secret weapon!" Weevil pulled a shining Orichalcos stone out of his pocket.

"Look, I don't know you," Mayu yelled over the wind, "but you're being brainwashed! Dartz is using you!"

"Do you really think I care, Death Princess," Weevil sneered. Mayu gasped when he called her by her race. Of course Dartz would teach his cronies about Death's servants. "I just want the ultimate power!"

"That's wrong," Mayu tried to reason.

"You're not even the King of Games," Weevil sneered. "I'm here to duel him!" Weevil pointed a finger at Yami and activated his duel disk.

"Are you stupid or something," Mayu yelled. "Don't you realize that if you go through with the duel, one of you will lose your soul?"

"Why else do you think I'm here," Weevil asked. "To seal away the Pharaoh!"

"Enough small talk," Mayu growled.

"Tell me where Yugi is," Yami demanded.

"The only way you'll find out is through dueling me," Weevil said. "Now let's go!"

"Very well then," Yami sighed as he activated his duel disk.

"Not so fast," Mayu cut in. "I want a piece of the action, too."

Weevil scoffed. "What use could Master Dartz possibly have for you," he asked. "I'm here to duel the pharaoh, not some dead girl."

"I'm a Death Princess, remember? My soul is worth twice that of the Pharaoh's. Think about it. Defeat both of us, and you're basically getting three souls for the price of two," Mayu answered. Her plan was coming together. All she had to do was hope that the kid would take the bait.

"Hm..." Weevil said as he thought about this new option. Dartz never said anything to him about taking the soul of a Death Princess. It had to be okay, especially if what Mayu had said was true. If her soul was really worth twice that of the pharaoh's, then it was just another soul that could be used to power the Great Beast. "All right, you've got a deal. But just to make things fair, you both will use one lifepoint counter set at four thousand lifepoints."

"Fine by me," Mayu said as she activated her duel disk. "Let's go!"

* * *

"It hurts, doesn't it, Luna," Serenity sneered. Several turns had gone by since the duel started, and Luna was already at her last eight hundred lifepoints. Serenity was still at two thousand, and Luna was starting to feel extremely tired. "The former Battle City finalist losing to the same power that took her friend."

"We'll see about that," Luna snarled. "My turn! I draw!" Luna looked at the cards in her hand and grimaced. She didn't have a very good hand, and given that this could possibly be her last play, she had to do it strategically. She thought long and hard as she stared at the cards in her hand, before she looked at the field.

On Serenity's side of the field was Judgement Dragon (3000 - 3500/2600), and on Luna's side of the field was Tethys, Goddess of Light (2400/1800) and one Mystical Shine Ball in defense mode (500/500). Each duelist had two face down cards on their respective sides of the field. There was no way that Luna could power Tethys up high enough to 3500 attack points. "There has to be some way to do this right," Luna muttered under her breath.

"Are you going to make a move, or can I just attack you," Serenity asked. "I can see we both know how this is going to end."

"Yeah, right," Luna growled. She took one look at her hand. If she played her cards right, she could stand a small chance of winning the duel. But she was wary of what Serenity's face-down cards were. If one of them was something that stopped her from playing magic cards, Luna was screwed.

"Now or never, girl," Luna sighed. "First, I'll activate the magic card, **Blinding Light**. By sending a LIGHT Fairy-type monster on the field or in my hand to the graveyard, I can reduce a monster's level by the same level of the sent monster. I'll send the Mystical Shine Ball in my hand to the graveyard to reduce one of my level 7 monsters to level 5. Next, I'll sacrifice my Mystical Shine Ball that's on the field so I can summon Darklord Asmodeus in attack mode (3000/2500). But that's not all. I'll activate another magic card: **Wishes of the Dark. **By paying six hundred lifepoints, I can add those points to Asmodeus's attack points! Now he's at 3600 attack points!"**  
**

"Yeah, I don't think so," Serenity smirked. "I activate the trap card, **Yin Barrier.** And with it, I'll activate its twin, **Yang Barrier**. Here's how it works: **Yin Barrier** negates your magic card and destroys it, and you take the damage that would have gone to your monster's attack points. **Yang Barrier** takes the lifepoints you received as damage and gives them to me!" A beam of light shot up from the ground that Luna was standing on and hit her hard. She screamed in pain until the light faded.

**Serenity: 2000 - 2600**

**Luna: 800 - 200**

"Well this isn't good," Luna sighed. Her vision was already starting to get blurry, and her body felt so weak. In an Orichalcos duel, the monsters were real, and so were all their powers. Every attack Serenity managed to land on Luna hurt like hell. Luna groaned as she struggled to stay on her feet, before her feet came out from under her. She fell on the ground, face-first, and her hand somehow found its way to the top of her deck. Whether she had done it intentionally or not, she had surrendered. Her soul belonged to the Orichalcos now. Serenity laughed as the Seal shrank around Luna's body as Luna weakly muttered, "Sora...it's...up...to...you. I'm sorry...they were too strong." Luna's body went limp on the ground and Serenity gave it a kick so that she could see the face of her opponent.

"Guess that's it," Serenity said as the images of the duel faded. Valon walked up to her and sighed. "She really didn't put up much of a fight. Guess she just made it to the finals out of luck?"

"Probably," Valon replied. "So, you had your duel. Can we go back now?"

"Thought you'd never ask. I-" Serenity was cut off as her phone rang. "Again," she sighed. She answered the phone without looking at the caller ID. "Hello?"

"It's Raphael," Raphael said. "Tell Valon that Alister's taking care of Kaiba and those two dweebs from earlier are taking care of the pharaoh and that friend of his."

"How come you aren't dueling the pharaoh," Serenity asked.

"I have more important things to worry about. I trust your duel was successful?"

"Very," Serenity replied. "I was glad to be able to get out for once."

"Great. You're going to have to report back, by the way. Master Dartz wants to talk to you."

"Why?"

"Does it seem like I have the answer to every question?"

"No, but-"

"Just get back here." With a _click_, Raphael hung up the phone. Serenity and Valon exchanged a look before they both got back on Valon's motorcycle and rode back to Paradius.

* * *

**A/N: OK. I know I didn't go as into Serenity and Luna's duel as I wanted to, but I'm saving a full-out, all-dueling, all-action chapter for when Serenity duels Joey. Not sure when that'll happen, but it will. Anyway, I know I mentioned this in the last chapter, but I deleted it because I took that scene out and put it in here. Luna is an OC I was going to include if this fic took place during Battle City, which was the original plan. However, I decided that I'd have more room for originality if I started the story during the Orichalcos arc. Not a ton of original cards, but I give myself credit for making them. Anyway, here are the cards (in order of appearance):**

**Card Name: Agent's Gift  
Card Type: Magic (normal)  
Card Image: The Agent of Creation - Venus holding a white box with blue ribbon on it  
Card Effect: Summon one LIGHT Fairy-type monster from your hand that is Level 4 or lower**

**Card Name: Blinding Light  
Card Type: Magic (quickplay)  
Card Image: creatures of darkness cowering in fear from a bright, white light  
Card Effect: Send one LIGHT Fairy-type monster on the field or in your hand to the graveyard, and can reduce a monster's level by the same level of the sent monster.**

**Card Name: Wishes of the Dark  
Card Type: Magic (normal)  
Card Image: Dark Magician looking at a shooting star in the night sky  
Card Effect: Pay six hundred lifepoints. Choose one DARK monster and it gains six hundred attack points until the End Phase.**

**Card Name: Yin Barrier  
Card Type: Trap (normal)  
Card Image: yin half of a yin-yang pendant  
Card Effect: When your opponent activates a magic card that increases a monster's attack points, negate the trap and destroy it. Your opponent takes the damage that would have gone to the monster's attack points**

**Card Name: Yang Barrier  
Card Type: Trap (normal)  
Card Image: yang half of a yin-yang pendant  
Card Effect: Take the lifepoints your opponent received as damage from a card effect and gain them.**


	5. Chapter 5

**A/N: Well, the first duel is out of the way, and I'm surprised people actually liked it. I mean, I'm happy, but I'm really surprised, too. I chopped the duel up on purpose, but I won't be doing that with some of the bigger duels (like Yami and Mayu vs Weevil or Joey and Mai vs Valon and Serenity, others will be included). Those duels will probably be entire chapters (or longer). The only reason I'm not including Joey and Mai vs Rex in this fic is because I want this chapter to focus more on Mayu's deck. It was originally going to be a Charmer deck, using cards such as Eria the Water Charmer or Hiita the Fire Charmer, but I had a hard time building that deck, and when I finally built it and tested it, it didn't work so well. So now she has the deck that I gave her (which is one of my favorites).**

**I would like to make one thing clear before I add my disclaimer: There is a website called , where you can make original Yugioh cards look realistic and put them up for sale. Please note that since I have next to no artistic talent and don't want to make a profit from this, the cards will not be made on the website or put up for sale.**

**On that note: kanna-chan does not own YuGiOh**

* * *

"You've improved since our last duel, Pharaoh," Weevil smirked. "So have I. I win this duel, and I get three souls for the price of two!"

"Mayu," Yami pleaded, "don't do this! There's no telling what Weevil will do!"

"Someone's got to keep you sane," Mayu sighed as she drew her hand of five cards from her deck. "You're too angry to think clearly."

"But-"

"I'll be fine. Weakened, perhaps, but fine."

"Are you done yet?" Weevil asked. "Because I'd like your souls sooner than later!"

"Fine," Mayu said. "Since you're so impatient, why don't you go first?"

"Fair enough," Weevil answered as he drew a card from his deck and added it to his hand. He smiled. "Oh, Pharaoh," Weevil called tauntingly. "You know what this is, don't you?" Weevil held up the card he just drew and showed it to Yami and Mayu. It was the Seal of Orichalcos. "This is the card you used to seal Yugi away!" Weevil placed the card into the Field Spell slot of his duel disk, and the ancient symbol formed around the group of three. The Seal appeared on Weevil's forehead and his eyes got a reddish tint to them.

Yami could see Mayu was in pain just from the activation of the Seal. The duel had to be ended, and it had to be ended quickly. Mayu put on a brave face and stood her ground. On the train. "Let's begin," Weevil sneered. "I summon my Pheromone Wasp in attack mode! (800/800) And thanks to the Seal, it gets-"

"Yeah, yeah, five hundred attack points. We know," Mayu sighed. "You know, you don't have to say that EVERY SINGLE TIME you play the card. We're not stupid."

"Shut up," Weevil growled as the Seal appeared on Pheromone Wasp's forehead. (1300/800) "I'll end my turn with two cards face down."

"Guess I'll go next," Mayu declared as she drew a card. "I'll start my turn off by summoning Constellar Pollux in attack mode (1700/600). Next, I'll activate Pollux's special ability. When I summon Pollux, I can summon another Constellar monster from my hand. I summon Constellar Kaust in attack mode (1800/700)."

"Wait, did you just summon a bunch of monsters in-" Weevil started.

"Two things, twerp," Mayu said. "One, that's not your line, and two, my response to that isn't my line. So shut up." Mayu looked at her hand, which was now a hand of four cards. There weren't a lot of things she could do right at that moment, so she hoped Yami had something good up his sleeve as she set two cards face down and ended her turn.

"My move," Yami said. He drew a card. "I'll start by summoning my Obnoxious Celtic Guardian in attack mode."

Mayu was silently praying that Yami wouldn't attack, considering that Weevil had two face-down cards. Just as she was about to call out to Yugi to warn him, it was too late. Yami declared his attack, but Weevil activated one of his face-down cards. "I activate my trap card, Mimisus," Weevil shouted. "This trap card lets me trade in my insect monster for another one! I choose my Parasite Caterpillar!" Pheromone Wasp disappeared from the field, and was quickly replaced by Parasite Caterpillar.

"Parasite Caterpillar's attack is the same as Pheromone Wasp's, though," Mayu said. "Your trap didn't negate Celtic Guardian's attack, so Parasite Caterpillar will still be destroyed by Celtic Guardian, and you'll still take one hundred points of damage! So what good could that have possibly-oh," Mayu said as she looked over at Yami's side of the field, where she saw a bug-eyed Celtic Guardian. It had been infected by Parasite Caterpillar. "So that's what your little vermin is capable of. And, apparently, you don't take damage either. I hate bugs."

"You're only half the duelist I was, Pharaoh!" Weevil laughed. "Is it because you lost your other half?"

"Don't listen to him," Mayu growled. "He's just playing mind games."

"I'm trying," Yami growled. "I'll end my turn with that."

"Fair enough, considering you can't do anything," Weevil sneered. "Does this insect look familiar? It's Pheromone Wasp!" More of Weevil's ugly vermin appeared on the field.

"Yami's only monster is an insect," Mayu realized. "Meaning Pheromone Wasp can attack him directly," she gasped.

"Pheromone Wasp," Weevil shouted, "attack the Pharaoh's life points directly!"

"I don't think so," Mayu countered as she revealed one of her face down cards. "I activate my trap card, **Constellar Fate**! Here's how it works. I choose one Constellar monster on my side of the field and flip a coin. If I call it right, then the monster I choose can intercept your attack. If I call it wrong, then the attack continues. I choose Constellar Kaust."

Constellar Kaust moved over to Yami's side of the field and stood in front of him. Mayu really hoped that luck was on her side as she took out a quarter and called heads. She flipped the coin and caught it as it fell back into her hand. She opened up her hand and it was tails. "Dammit," Mayu muttered. "The attack continues." She watched as Constellar Kaust moved out of the line of attack and Pheromone Wasp attack Yami directly.**  
**

**Weevil: 4000  
****Yami and Mayu: 2700**

"Now, I'll activate my Wasp's special ability," Weevil laughed maniacally. "When my Wasp attacks you directly, I can summon one insect monster from my deck! I choose my Leghul (300 - 800/350). Next, I'll activate my face down card. It's the magic card, Insect Barrier! This card protects me from attacks by Insect-type monsters."

"But I don't have any Insect-type monsters in my deck, and Yami doesn't either."

"Silly girl, how easily you forget! Celtic Guardian has been turned into an Insect-type monster by Parasite Caterpillar! As we speak, Celtic Guardian is slowly turning into an insect called Poison Butterfly with 2700 attack points! And despite its strength, it won't be able to attack because of my Insect Barrier!" Celtic Guardian quickly became enveloped in a cocoon that was pink and covered with spiderweb. Mayu shuddered in disgust.

Mayu cursed under her breath. She turned to Yami and said, "He's a twerp. Please tell me that he was much worse before he joined up with Dartz."

"He is stronger than I remember," Yami sighed. "But will not let him stand in the way of rescuing Yugi."

"That's the spirit," Mayu smiled before she turned back to Weevil. "You done? It's my turn. I draw!"

**Weevil: 4000**

**Yami and Mayu: 2700**

"First," Mayu said, "I'll activate the magic card, Pot of Greed, so that I can draw two cards." Mayu put Pot of Greed in her graveyard before she added the top two cards of her deck to her hand. "Next, Next, I activate my **Constellar Lightning **magic card. This card destroys all Constellar monsters on the field and lets me draw one card for each one." Constellar Pollux and Kaust disappeared from the field as Mayu drew two cards. "Now, I'll summon Constellar Sombres in Attack Mode (1550/1600). I'll also give him a little power boost with the equip spell, **Sombrero Galaxy Scepter**."

"I've never heard of that card!" Weevil yelled over the wind. "It's a fake!"

"If it was a fake, do you think I could do this, bug brain?" Mayu yelled back. Constellar Sombres extended a hand and a silver scepter with a purple jewel on top appeared in his hand. The jewel glowed with the light of the stars. "**Sombrero Galaxy Scepter **is an equip spell that can only be equipped to Constellar Sombres. It increases his attack points by three hundred, but it drops his defense by the same amount (1550 - 1850/1600 - 1300).

Mayu looked down at her hand and wondered what else there was she could do. There was one card that she had that could win the duel easily, but it wasn't in her hand, and she didn't have the monsters needed to summon it. She had to think of something else or hope that Yami had something good up his sleeve. There was no doubt that Weevil was planning to hatch some kind of disgusting insect from that cocoon.

With Insect Barrier on the field and a face down card, Mayu could easily see that Weevil had another insurance plan. She ran through what kinds of cards would work well with Insect Barrier in her head, but she couldn't think of anything. Mayu didn't even have Mystical Space Typhoon or a card that could destroy a spell or trap card in her hand. "I guess I'll end my turn with that," she sighed.

Yami gaped at her in shock as Weevil smirked, "Smart choice for someone about to lose! Then again, you're dead. What do you have to lose?"

Yami shook his head as play shifted over to him. "It's my turn. Draw," Yami yelled. "I'll start off with the magic card, Polymerization! By merging Gaia the Fierce Knight with Curse of Dragon, I can summon Gaia the Dragon Champion (2600/2100)!"

"Don't attack, don't attack, don't attack," Mayu silently begged. "That face down card-"

"Now, Gaia," Yami shouted, "attack!"

Weevil laughed, "Hold on. You've just triggered my trap! DNA Surgery!"

"What's that," Yami asked. Mayu wanted to slap Yami across the face, then herself. She couldn't believe she had forgotten about DNA Surgery!

"Just what I need to win this duel," Weevil answered. "It lets me change every monster on the field into an insect! Including your Dragon Champion and the dead girl's Constellar monsters!" Mayu cursed under her breath as Constellar Pollux, Sombres, and Kaust developed bug-like features on their bodies. "And as you know," Weevil continued, "my Insect Barrier blocks all insect attacks!" Gaia the Dragon Champion-rather, Insect Champion, considering the type change-almost landed a hit on Leghul, before Insect Barrier kicked in and sent Gaia flying back.

"Weevil's got us in a bit of a bind," Mayu muttered to herself. "Now every monster that I summon or Yami summons becomes a bug. This is just fan-tucking-fastic. As long as Insect Barrier is in play, none of our attacks will get through!"

"He's stronger than before!" Yami yelled to Mayu over the wind.

"Doesn't matter to me!" Mayu replied. "You know what they say: the bigger they are, the harder they fall!" Mayu gasped as she looked up and saw a rock arc that stretched across two cliffs. "Both of you, duck!" Yami noticed and did as he was told, and Weevil did, too.

"Thanks for the warning," Weevil sneered. "Back to the game!" Weevil drew a card and chuckled to himself when he saw what it was. "I activate the magic card, Cell Division, and I'll use it on my Leghul!" A copy of Weevil's Leghul appeared on the field, and they both got powered up by the Orichalcos (300 - 800/350). "Thanks to my magic card, I now have two leeches for the price of one!"

"Well, that can't be good," Mayu said.

"If you actually thought I'd be frightened by a monster with a mere eight hundred attack points," Yami growled, "you're sorely mistaken."

"Yami," Mayu said, "Think about why he'd put two really weak monsters on the field. There's a good strategy at work, and if we don't figure out how to beat it, we're bug bait."

"The dead girl has a point," Weevil smirked. "I'm actually disappointed in you, Pharaoh. You don't seem to recognize a good strategy! I guess what I've heard is true: Without Yugi, you're nothing but a second-rate wannabe! As soon as I win, you'll be locked away with your better half!"

"Keep talking, bug brain," Mayu yelled. "You're a sick, twisted little cockroach!"

"Thanks for the compliment," Weevil smirked. "The cockroach is one of the strongest insects alive! You should know that!"

"Forgive me for not paying any attention to vermin over the last thousand years. All I see in front of me is someone who's all talk and no action. So if you're really so tough, then show us what you've got and stop talking about it."

"Fine! I'll sacrifice my Pheromone Wasp and one Leghul to summon my Insect Queen (2200 - 2700/2400)!" Insect Queen, a giant bug that would have made anyone afraid of spiders have a heart attack, appeared on the field. "Did I forget to mention that Insect Queen also gets two hundred more attack points for each insect on the field? Since the Pharaoh has two insects, I have two insects, and the dead girl has one insect, my Queen gets a major power boost!" Weevil sneered (2200 - 2700 - 3700/2400).

"Dammit," Mayu muttered.

"But before I attack with my Queen," Weevil continued, "I'll attack with my Leghul!" Weevil's Leghul dived right for Mayu and sent her flying into the air before she landed back on the roof of the train. Hard. She slowly got back to her feet as she felt an even stronger drain on her powers from the Orichalcos again. She couldn't afford to go on for much

**Weevil: 4000  
****Yami and Mayu: 1900**

"Next," Weevil continued, "I'll sacrifice my Leghul so my Insect Queen can attack Gaia, the Dragon Champion!"

"Oh, please tell me that Insect Queen isn't going to..." Mayu trailed off as she watched Insect Queen pick up Leghul and take large, grotesque bites out of it. "Now that's just nasty." Insect Queen attacked and destroyed Gaia the Dragon Champion, and Yami and Mayu's lifepoints went from 1900 to 1200. Insect Queen's attack went down to 3300 from the destruction of two insect monsters, but she laid an egg. "Now that's even worse."

Weevil laughed maniacally, "My insect army is slowly infesting the playing field! Just a few more turns, and you're both bug bait!"

"You won't win!" Mayu yelled. She looked over at Yami who nodded in agreement. "A person like you never wins anything!"

"Really, Death Princess?" Weevil asked. "Then, tell me, what is a person like me?"

"I can think of a few words, but they'll probably be censored. 4Kids is so annoying!"

"How's this for uncensored?" Yami asked. "You're nothing but a greedy, power-hungry worm!"

"Oh, really?" Weevil asked. "Then what does that make you? Aren't you the one who wanted power so much that you sold out your best friend for a taste of it? You activated the Seal in your last duel, even though you knew it would endanger the life of someone close to you! Frankly, that's what I call power-hungry and greedy. But now the Seal and all its powers belong to me!"

"He's just trying to get to you," Mayu shouted at Yami. "Ignore it!"

"I'm trying," Yami growled. "He can't win by playing these head games with me." The way Mayu saw it, Weevil had already won. Yami was in no condition to duel. For a twerp with a brain the size of an ant, Weevil was very, very, very good at head games.

"You're shaking," Mayu noticed as she walked towards Yami against the wind. "Whether you realize it or not, that twerp's head games are making you doubt yourself. He's trying to make you fear him. And I hate to say this, but it's working."

"Are you done yet?" Weevil yelled. "I'd like to continue. It's been two turns since my cocoon appeared on the field, meaning it won't be long til it hatches! And when it does, you'll meet the same fate as poor little Yugi."

"Shut it," Mayu growled as she turned back to the duel. She drew a card from her deck and smiled. It was the card she needed. Now all she had to do was figure out a way to get it out on the field while avoiding the effects of DNA Surgery. "Since you have monsters on your side of the field and I don't, I can Special Summon Constellar Schet from my hand (100/1600). I'm not done yet, though. Since I can still summon a monster, I'll summon a second Constellar Pollux (1700/600)." Insect Queen's attack went back to 3700 with the appearance of two new insects.

"What good will that do?" Yami wondered to himself. "Strength in numbers? There really isn't much that Mayu can do."

"I'm almost finished," Mayu said. "Time for a finale! I activate the magic card, Double Summon. I sacrifice Constellar Schet and Constellar Pollux so I can summon Constellar Beehive (2400/800)." Insect Queen's attack went back down to 3300, before it went back up to 3500.**  
**

"It's powerful, I'll give you that," Weevil smirked, "but it's not strong enough to take out my Insect Queen!"

"Oh, really?" Mayu asked. "Because Constellar Beehive has a special ability of his own. By removing one of the monsters I used to summon it from play, I can give one thousand more attack points to any Constellar monster on the field until the end of my turn! And since Constellar Beehive is the only Constellar monster on the field, his attack goes up to three thousand, four hundred attack points (2400 - 3400/800)."

"Big deal," Weevil sneered. "Your monsters are still insects, so they can't attack! Victory is mi-"

"Would it kill you to shut up for once in your twerpy life?" Mayu sighed. "I still have a few more tricks up my shirt."

"Sleeve," Weevil sighed.

"What?"

"It's _sleeve_, you idiot! You have a few tricks up your _sleeve_! Learn some-"

"Whatever," Mayu scoffed. "Say hello to a card you should be very familiar with: Mystical Space Typhoon! And I'll use it on your DNA Surgery!" A typhoon appeared on the side of Mayu's field and quickly swept up Weevil's trap card. The bug-like features that were on Mayu and Yami's monsters disappeared.

"Yes!" Yami shouted. Insect Queen's attack points went back to two thousand seven hundred, before it went up to two thousand nine hundred due to its special ability.

"Now, Constellar Beehive," Mayu called, "attack that vermin!" Constellar Beehive charged directly towards Insect Queen, before it pulled back a punch and let it hit the insect monster with full force. Insect Queen was destroyed.

**Weevil: 3500  
Mayu and Yami: 1200**

"That's good enough for now," Mayu said with satisfaction. "Want to finish him off?"

"My pleasure," Yami replied. He drew a card, and Constellar Beehive's attack went back to two thousand four hundred.

"Don't be so sure of yourself!" Weevil sneered. "It's been three turns since your Celtic Guardian was transformed into a cocoon! You know what that means!" The cocoon on Yami's side of the field began to crack and glow as a purple butterfly emerged from it. "Say hello to Poison Butterfly (2700/1800)!"

"You just built your own defeat, Weevil," Mayu said. She was confused. Why would Weevil give Yami such a powerful monster?

"Poison Butterfly is indeed powerful," Weevil smirked, "but it inflicts five hundred points of damage for every turn it stays on the field!"

"You shouldn't be laughing," Yami growled. "Now, I summon the Eye of Timaeus! I'll fuse it with Poison Butterfly to form-what?" The two monsters wouldn't fuse together. Timaeus was destroyed, but Poison Butterfly remained on the field.

Weevil laughed, "Timaeus has abandoned you! The dark powers of the Orichalcos is still within you. In your last duel, you turned your back on all your monsters, so now, Timaeus is returning the favor!"

Mayu couldn't offer anything to say to Yami then. What Weevil was saying was true, to an extent. Mayu knew that no matter what she said to Yami, he wouldn't believe her. Yami knew that Weevil was right. He ended his turn, and Mayu and Yami's lifepoints dropped from 1200 to 700. Weevil set one card and ended his turn before play went to Mayu. Mayu looked at her hand and knew that she couldn't do much. She set one card face down and ended her turn.

"It's my move now," Yami declared. He drew a card. "I summon Breaker the Magical Warrior (1600/1000). Breaker gains three hundred more attack points when he's summoned (1600 - 1900/1000)."

"I activate the trap card, Infestation!" Weevil countered. "This card drains 100 attack points from each of our monsters and subtracts them from our lifepoints!" One monster on Yami's part of the field and one monster on Mayu's meant two hundred points of damage for both of them. They were down to five hundred lifepoints. Weevil had no monsters on his side of the field, so he was safe. Weevil laughed, "At the end of your turn, Poison Butterfly will take your last five hundred lifepoints, and you'll lose! But since I'm such a nice guy, and I know you can't win, I'm willing to do you a favor. I have a card in my pocket I think you would really like to see. It's the least I can do to repay you for ruining my life!"

Yami growled under his breath as Weevil continued, "Yugi's spirit is trapped deep in the caverns of Dartz's lair. I know how to set it free."

"Tell me!" Yami yelled.

"In order to release Yugi's soul," Weevil said, "you're going to need a special card. I have it right here." Weevil took a card out of his pocket and kept its face hidden.

"Give it to me!" Yami shouted.

"Tsk, tsk, tsk. That's not a very nice way to ask." Yami started to walk toward Weevil when he ripped the card in half. "Now you'll never save Yugi! He's gone forever!"

Yami screamed in anguish before Mayu said, "You snake. That was really low. I didn't even think a twerp like you could stoop that low."

"Relax," Weevil said, "it was just a useless bug card!"

"You'll pay for that," Yami muttered as he glared at Weevil.

"There's nothing you can do!" Weevil yelled.

"I disagree," Yami replied. "I activate Breaker's special ability!"

"Big deal, so you can destroy a magic or trap card...oh, no!"

"Oh, yes! I'll destroy your DNA Surgery trap card!" Breaker's sword went clean through DNA Surgery as the card vanished from the field. Breaker's attack points went down to 1500. "Now, I'll activate the Magic Card, Beserker Soul! All I have to do is discard my hand and draw new cards until I draw a magic or trap card. However, each monster I draw lets me attack with one of the monsters I have on the field, as long as it has 1500 attack points or less!"

Weevil gasped, "You've been planning this all along!"

Yami drew his first card. "Queen's Knight!" Breaker attacked Weevil directly and reduced his lifepoints to 2000. Another card. "Gazelle the King of Mythical Beasts!" Another direct attack by Breaker. Weevil's lifepoints went from 2000 to 500. Another card. "Kuriboh!" Weevil's lifepoints went to zero as the Seal shrunk around him and his body went limp on top of the train.

But Yami didn't stop there. He continued to draw monster after monster. "Stop!" Mayu yelled. "No more! Please!" Mayu grabbed onto Yami's arm before he could declare another attack. "It's over. You already won the duel! The Seal of Orichalcos is gone. We have to stop this." Yami sighed. He knew that Mayu was right. He couldn't afford to give in to the darkness any longer. He had a promise to keep to Dark Magician Girl.

Mayu hissed in pain as she grabbed her shoulder with the Orichalcos brand, before she collapsed. She couldn't support herself any longer, and that duel in the Orichalcos drained her of all her energy. "Mayu!" Yami yelled.

"I'm fine," Mayu replied weakly as Yami put her arm around his shoulder. "That duel took more out of me than I thought it would. My magic...it doesn't mix with the Orichalcos. But two souls have been taken. Weevil's was one, but I'm not sure who the other one was."

Yami was about to say something when he heard the sound of metal on metal, before it changed to metal on rock, and the train began to derail off of a cliff. Mayu and Yami screamed the whole way down, but Yami yelled, "Can't you do something?"

"I'm too weak to use my powers!" Mayu yelled back. The two continued to fall until they hit the ground, many feet below. It was a hard landing, and Mayu groaned as she weakly sat up. "Are you all right?"

"Barely," Yami answered.

* * *

**A/N:** **One thing I want to say, because this bugs me EVERY time I see it. There are two Celtic Guardian cards: Obnoxious Celtic Guardian and Celtic Guardian. They both have the same number of stars, same attribute, same ATK/DEF, same...pretty much everything. The only difference is that Obnoxious Celtic Guardian is an Effect monster (effect: ****can't be destroyed by battle if the monster attacking has 1900 ATK points or more)**, and Celtic Guardian is a normal monster. ******They NEVER specified this in the show (or the manga, as far as I know), so we could never really be certain which one they were using. For all intents and purposes of this story, I'll be going with the assumption that the one that was being used in the show was the Normal Celtic Guardian.**

**********Fun fact about Mayu's deck (one of the many reasons why I chose it): All non-XYZ Constellar monsters are named after a prominent star or stars located in, and are themselves based on a constellation of the Ecliptic. All these constellations are also, by definition, signs of the Zodiac. The only exception to this is Constellar Sombres, which is named after the Sombrero Galaxy. The XYZ Constellar monsters are named directly after prominent star clusters instead of individual stars.**

******Original Cards**

******CARD NAME: Constellar Fate  
CARD TYPE: TRAP (COUNTER)  
CARD IMAGE: CONSTELLAR KAUST STANDS IN FRONT OF A LARGE CLOCKTOWER AS HE HOLDS HIS OWN POCKETWATCH  
CARD EFFECT: CHOOSE ONE CONSTELLAR MONSTER ON YOUR SIDE OF THE FIELD AND PERFORM A COIN TOSS. IF THE TOSS IS CALLED CORRECTLY, THEN THE MONSTER CAN INTERCEPT THE ATTACK. IF THE TOSS IS CALLED INCORRECTLY, THE ATTACK CONTINUES AS IF THIS CARD WAS NOT ACTIVATED.**

**CARD NAME: Sombrero Galaxy Fist  
CARD TYPE: MAGIC (EQUIP)  
CARD IMAGE: A SILVER SCEPTER WITH A PURPLE GEM INSIDE. THE PURPLE GEM IS GLOWING WITH STARS INSIDE OF IT.  
CARD EFFECT: THIS CARD CAN ONLY BE EQUIPPED TO CONSTELLAR SOMBRES. INCREASE CONSTELLAR SOMBRES' ATTACK POINTS BY 300 AND DECREASE HIS DEFENSE POINTS BY 300. WHEN CONSTELLAR SOMBRES WOULD BE DESTROYED BY BATTLE WHILE EQUIPPED WITH THIS CARD, YOU CAN DESTROY THIS CARD INSTEAD.  
**


	6. Chapter 6

**A/N: ****May I just start off by saying how happy I am that you like the duel scenes and original cards and...well, you get the picture. Anywho, thanks to all the reviewers, favoriters (not a word, I know), subscribers, and everyone else who has been reading this story! Let's get it rolling! Minna, hade ni ikuze (lol, Kaizoku Sentai Gokaiger reference; means "Everyone, let's make a show of it/let's make it flashy!").**

**kanna-chan does not own YuGiOh or YGOTAS. You know who they belong to. kanna-chan also has no intent of making a profit off of her original cards, and would really appreciate it if you didn't, also.**

**kanna-chan would also like to ask that everyone keeps the victims of the shooting of Sandy Hook Elementary in Newtown, Connecticut and the twenty-two students of YuanChuan Elementary School in the village of Chengping, Guangshan county, Henan, China who were brutally stabbed in their thoughts.**

* * *

Dartz was furious. He lost contact with the Pharaoh. That stupid stunt that the blue-haired punk pulled on the train forced any and all contact with the Pharaoh out of Dartz's eyes. Dartz then decided he was never recruiting anyone under the age of thirteen ever again as he stared at the wall of souls in front of him. There were many souls and so little time for the Great Leviathan to collect them all. "Maybe he didn't survive the fall," Serenity mused as she stared at the wall of souls that currently held Weevil and Rex's souls as its most recent additions.

"He did," Dartz replied. He turned around so that he could face Rafael and Serenity. Valon was off tracking down another duelist, and Alister was setting his grand plan for the Kaiba brothers in motion.

"Then allow me to track him down for you," Rafael asked. "It's the least I can do to make up for my failure."

"I'll go with him," Serenity added. "Just to make sure he doesn't do anything stupid. Besides, I'm sick and tired and downright bored of just staying around here and doing nothing all day."

"Rafael, you will go alone," Dartz said. Serenity was about to protest before Dartz continued, "There is much I have to discuss with you in private, Serenity." Rafael nodded as he headed out of Dartz's lair. Serenity sighed. "Your time will come, my dear."

"I'm just sick of sitting around here! I want to duel someone! Preferably my brother," Serenity complained.

"And you will. However, you are not ready for him yet. The time will come. We just need the perfect bait."

"Bait?"

Dartz nodded. "Let the Pharaoh and his friends reunite with each other. As they enjoy their happy reunion, we shall set our trap. Once we take the soul of your brother, the Pharaoh's soul will fall right into our hands."

"But why can't we just do it the other way around?"

"The Pharaoh is an...interesting case. He always manages to find ways out of things. The fact that a Death Princess is with him does not entirely help us. The magic of the Orichalcos is older and stronger than she is. It weakens her. However, we do have a weapon waiting in the wings."

Dartz snapped his fingers. Two of the lit torches had flames shoot out of them and combine into one shape. When the flames died down, a girl appeared. She was about Mayu's height (though Serenity wouldn't know that, considering she had only seen Mayu once and hadn't paid her much attention), had short hair just above her shoulders, and wore traditional Korean clothing from the Joseon Dynasty; specifically a traditional Korean dress known as a hanbok. The upper part of it was white, and the skirt was a light green. However, the entire outfit was covered in blood. Serenity quickly realized that those must have been the clothes the girl died in. The girl must have been a Death Princess. "You called?" the girl asked in flawless English.

"Yes, So-mi," Dartz replied. "Locate the Pharaoh. Become my eyes. Identify who or what is blocking him from my vision."

"As you wish, Master."

The girl turned into a pillar of flames and vanished when the pillar faded. Serenity raised an eyebrow. "Another Death Princess?" Serenity asked. "I thought they were all weakened by the powers of the Seal."

"That is true," Dartz agreed. "However, when they give into their darker selves and choose to forsake their humanity, the Orichalcos augments their strength."

"Why do I get the feeling that she's..." Serenity trailed off.

"Under my control? Very perceptive of you. She is. She tried to fight me off, but I won in the end. I kept her soul and fueled it with the powers of the Orichalcos. Now, she fights for us."

* * *

Yami gasped as he woke up from what had to have been a nightmare. He looked around and saw some very unfamiliar settings. He was in what appeared to be a teepee made of brown cloth. It looked considerably old. He looked next to him and saw that Mayu was asleep. Yami gently shook her awake and told her to wake up. She groaned as she slowly opened her eyes and sat up. "Where are we?" Mayu asked.

Yami was about to answer when a wolf charged into the teepee and landed on top of Mayu. "Mayu!" Yami shouted with alarm.

But Mayu was laughing as the wolf wagged its tail and playfully licked her face. "And hello to you, too," Mayu laughed as she scratched the wolf behind the ears. That's when she got a good look at the wolf. "I know you," she mused. The wolf barked in agreement before she went to give Yami a good face-licking, while Yami held the wolf as far away as possible.

"Sky," a young girl called as she appeared in the entrance of the teepee, "that's no way to treat our guests!" The girl was short, a little heavyset, and was dressed in native clothes. She had thick, red hair that was in braided pigtails. The wolf, Sky, ran over to the girl and the girl gave Sky a hug. "Sorry she woke you," the girl apologized. "I'm Chris. You've already met Sky." Then, Chris noticed Mayu for the first time. "Mayu? Is it really..."

"The years certainly haven't changed you a bit, Chris," Mayu smiled as she got up. "It took me a second to realize who you were."

"Same," Chris laughed.

"You know each other?" Yami asked.

Mayu and Chris exchanged a look. A silent agreement passed between them as Mayu said, "That's a story for another time. But, yes, we do know each other. How did you find us?"

"It was Sky," Chris explained. "She was hunting for food and she found you guys instead. Grandpa said I should take both of you to talk to him when you woke up." Yami and Mayu stood up and walked out of the teepee with Chris. Sky eagerly wagged her tail as she walked next to Mayu and barked happily.

As it turned out, Chris' grandfather wasn't too far away. He was an old man with long, grey hair and a long, grey beard. He, like his granddaughter, wore native clothing. He was sitting by a river holding Duel Monsters cards. Yami's cards. He jolted when he saw one card in particular, but then calmed himself and stood up. He turned to face the group behind him. "Thank you for helping us," Yami said. Mayu knelt down and started to scratch Sky behind the ears.

"No thanks necessary," Chris' grandfather replied. "My name is Ironheart. I couldn't help but notice that you possess the legendary Eye of Timaeus. believe this is yours." Ironheart held out Yami's deck and tried to give it to him, but Yami averted his gaze.

"Keep it," Yami said resignedly as Mayu momentarily stopped scratching Sky behind the ears to look up at him. "I'm not deserving of its power." As much as Mayu wanted to say something in protest, she couldn't. She knew that Yami wouldn't listen to her.

"Very well, then," Ironheart said as he took the card back. He placed it on top of the deck and placed the deck into a pocket on his clothes.

"You didn't by any chance find another kid, did you?" Mayu asked. "He had a bad haircut and wore glasses. His eyes were bug-like."

"The two of you were the only ones we found. Perhaps he escaped before the train fell off the..." Ironheart trailed off as he slowly recognized Mayu. "Mayu. It's been so long. I didn't recognize you right away. You've changed."

"Only a few thousand years, Ironheart," Mayu laughed. "You haven't changed a bit, my friend."

"Do you know everyone?" Yami asked in exasperation as Mayu shook hands with Ironheart.

"Only the people I need to," Mayu replied. "Anyway-"

"It's highly doubtful that Weevil would have been able to escape, given the condition he was in," Yami interrupted. "There's a greater power at work here."

"I'm impressed," Ironheart said. "I've encountered many people in my travels, but there's something...interesting about you."

"Interesting?" Mayu asked before she turned back to scratching Sky behind the ears. "Like what?"

Ironheart shrugged ruefully before he continued, "I can tell you have a great deal of loneliness in your heart."

"Yes," Yami answered. He looked down at his feet. "I recently lost a good friend. Now, I am on a journey to find his soul."

"And what will you do if you find him?"

"I will apologize for betraying his trust and abandoning him." Mayu stopped petting Sky as she exchanged a look with Chris, before the two girls looked at Ironheart, who was deep in thought.

"I think I might be able to help," Ironheart said. "Follow me."

* * *

"Remind me again why I've been carrying this punk for the past four hours," Joey whined as he carried Rex on his back. The train ride was a trap, and Joey and Mai had to duel against Rex while Tea and Tristan just watched on. Luckily, Joey and Mai won, but they couldn't just leave Rex in a desert that was in the middle of nowhere. So Joey and Tristan played rock-paper-scissors, and Tristan won five times in a row.

"Because I beat you in rock-paper-scissors," Tristan replied.

"Mai, how come you're not carrying him?" Joey whined.

"Because my breasts are too big to carry a loser like that," Mai answered angrily. The group of four continued to follow the tracks in the hopes that the tracks would lead to Yugi and Mayu.

"Whatever," Joey sighed. "You have to be cheating; nobody, and I mean NOBODY wins rock-paper-scissors five times in a row!"

"He's just been playing scissors every time," Tea pointed out. "And you've been playing paper every time. Didn't you attend kindergarten? Everyone knows that scissors beats paper in rock-paper-scissors."

Joey muttered something that Mai, Tristan, and Tea couldn't hear. The group of four continued to walk on in silence until they heard the sound of a motor. "Did you guys hear that?" Tea asked. "It sounded like a motor."

"Is it those biker punks again?" Mai asked. She listened more closely before she shook her head. The noise started to get louder as the source got closer. "No, it's just one person on a bike."

"One or more, it's all the same," Joey smirked. "We can still take them."

"You sure about that?" a voice called. The voice's owner was that of the bike rider's, who had just put her bike up on its kickstand and walked up to the group. When the rider's helmet was removed, the group of four gasped when they saw that the rider was a girl. She was short, had blue eyes, and short, brown, spiky hair. She wore red shorts and a white t-shirt with a black vest. A gold key necklace hung around her neck and she wore yellow sneakers on her feet. In addition, she also wore black driver's gloves. "You're the one who took my best friend's soul. You punk!" The girl kicked Joey right in the nuts and he screamed in pain.

She kicked him again and he fell to the ground. "Stop it!" Tristan, Tea, and Mai yelled as they tried to restrain the girl from attacking Joey.

With a force stronger than what they had anticipated, the girl pushed all three of them to the side and proceeded to continue to kick Joey, before she gasped when she saw his face. "It's not you," the girl gasped. Joey groaned and Tristan, Tea, and Mai all exchanged confused looks. "But you look so much like...oh." The girl quickly realized who she had been kicking and wanted to slap herself. "I'm sorry." The girl held out a hand to Joey, who continued to moan in pain on the ground. "Relax, I'm not going to hurt you again. It was a misunderstanding."

"Misunderstanding?" Tristan asked. "You kicked Joey until he almost started to cough up blood!"

"Yeah..." the girl shrugged. "I don't really know my own strength. Sorry. Just let me explain, and then I'll leave."

"Food," Joey moaned as Mai helped him back to his feet. The girl laughed as she walked over to her bike and picked up a yellow backpack. She brought it over to the group and sat down. When she opened it up, she took out five sandwiches and offered one to each member of the group. Joey took his without hesitation and shoved it into his mouth. "Thanks, uh..."

"Sora," the girl introduced herself. She took a bite of her sandwich before she continued, "Sorry about that. See, my best friend, Luna, was in a duel against these biker punks who use a freaky magic card that steals souls, and she lost. The duelist who won looked a little bit like you, but it was a girl."

"A girl?" Joey gasped in realization. "There's no way that-she'd never-"

Joey was at a loss for words when Mai piped in, "Joey has a sister, named Serenity. I'm not really sure where you saw the resemblance, but it might have been the top of the head."

"A sister," Sora mused. "Well...this just got awkward."

"Where are you going?" Tea asked to break the awkwardness.

"I've been tracking leads on that gang of biker punks. The last one I had led me to this desert. Rather, this part of the desert," Sora answered.

"Hey, I've got a question," Tristan commented. "How come you look like Sora from _Kingdom Hearts_?"

Sora sighed. "My real name is Blaise," she answered. "I got teased at school a lot because the kids said that Blaise was a boy's name, and that it sounded stupid for a girl to have it. About a year after that, I changed schools, and _Kingdom Hearts_ came out. When I got the game, Sora became my favorite character, so I started having people call me Sora. Since Sora is also considered a girl's name, nobody saw a reason to tease me about it. I didn't care that I looked like the character from _Kingdom Hearts_; I was just sick and tired of hearing people tease me about having a boy's name. Mom and Dad even started calling me Sora, too, so it just stuck. As for the outfit...I was at a convention when I heard about Luna. I raced over as soon as I could, and didn't even bother getting changed. I always wear the necklace, though." Sora showed everyone the gold key necklace. "When Luna and I first became friends, we went out shopping. We saw these two key necklaces at a store and decided to buy them. We promised we'd stay friends forever. Cheesy, right?"

"Actually, friendship-" Tea started as everyone groaned.

"My breasts can't handle-" Mai interrupted.

"And before we can move on with that," Tristan cut in, "how did you find us?"

"I saw you guys from a distance. My dad's an inventor, and he gave me special goggles that let me see things from a really far distance. Almost like built in binoculars," Sora replied. "Who are you guys, anyway? I mean, I know who you-" she looked at Mai, "and you-" she looked at Joey, "are, but I don't know who you two are."

"Wait," Joey said as he remembered something. "You said your best friend's name was Luna, right?" Sora nodded. "Was she in a tournament called Battle City?" Another nod. "I knew it! Man, sucks that she got her soul taken, though."

"Anyway," Tristan cut in, "I'm Tristan, and that's Tea." Sora nodded in understanding.

"We've been looking for those biker punks, too," Mai added. "Wanna come with us?"

"Thought you'd never ask," Sora smiled. "Let's get going."

* * *

"Don't look down," Chris warned Yami and Mayu as they walked along the edge of a cliff. Chris, Yami, Mayu, and Sky all followed Ironheart along the edge of a cliff to what Ironheart called "a sacred valley." Mayu could have flown if she wished, but she was still recovering her powers, and she couldn't afford to risk anything. So she walked in her civilian form.

The feel of all the spirits floating around in the valley had a strange effect on Mayu. It didn't feel good, but it wasn't painful either. "The other side of this mountain is a place where spirits dwell," Ironheart explained as the group continued their long trek. "My people believe that human souls exist all around us, and just beyond this mountain is an area where drifting souls are said to gather as they wander. Your friend might be there."

"I can sense evil spirits," Mayu noticed.

Ironheart nodded. "Evil spirits do dwell there, as well. Finding the soul you seek is easy. Leaving with your own, on the other hand...that is another thing entirely. It's not too late to back out."

"You're going to go anyway, though. Aren't you?" Mayu asked even though she already knew the answer.

"I must go. For Yugi," Yami replied. The group continued their long trek in silence before they reached the top of another cliff. This cliff looked down into the valley. There were large, stone pillars in a circle that reminded Mayu of Stonehenge. "What is that?"

"That circle is the place that reflects your heart," Ironheart answered.

"Will I see my partner if I go there?"

"Yes."

Yami nodded before he started to make his way to the edge of the cliff. He noticed Mayu wasn't following him. "Aren't you coming?" he asked.

Mayu shook her head. "You should do this alone," she said. "There's all different kinds of energies here that are affecting me in different ways. It's not that safe for me to be here. Besides, I wouldn't be much help, anyway. I won't rush you through what you came here to do, but try to make it quick." Yami nodded and ran down the cliff and into the valley.

Mayu, Chris, Ironheart, and Sky all looked on as they watched Yami enter the valley. Mayu sighed as she felt a slight strain on her powers. "Does it really affect you?" Chris asked. Mayu turned to face Chris. "To be here, I mean. You didn't have to come."

"You're wrong," Mayu sighed. "I'm not quite sure how or why, but you are."

"You're confusing. I thought after a few thousand years, you'd learn to be less cryptic."

"Chris, I'm _dead_. Of course I'm cryptic. It's in my nature. I-" Mayu was cut off as she felt a rush of spirits swarm into the center of the valley. She heard Yami call for his partner and watched balls of light begin to come together and form a shape. So a spirit was crossing over into the world of the living. When the lights all merged together, they faded, and Yugi appeared. "Why do I get the feeling that this isn't going to go so well?"

"Because it isn't," Chris answered. "You know just as well as I do that the Pharaoh has to face his other half. It's a test." Mayu sighed as she turned back to face the valley. Yami and Yugi were yelling at each other, and both had their duel disks out.

* * *

Serenity sighed as she sat in front of a computer that had a picture of her next target on it. She was so irritated that Dartz wouldn't let her go out and do stuff. She was just as good at her job as Valon, Rafael, and Alister were at theirs. But Dartz kept making her stick around and wait for new targets. She sighed as she closed out of the window that had her target's picture before she logged out of the computer and walked out of Dartz's office.

If just sitting around and doing nothing all day long was what her part of the job was, Serenity couldn't believe she had signed up for it. She sighed as she pulled out her cell phone and called Valon. Hopefully he had something in mind. As the phone rang, Serenity thought back to when she and Valon had first met, and when Valon introduced her to Dartz.

**~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~FLASHBACK~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~**

_It was summertime in Domino City, and once Battle City had finished, Serenity begged her mom to let her get a deck. After being forced to duel against Nesbitt in the virtual world, she found that even though the experience was frightening, the feeling of having her own deck felt really cool. So for Serenity's fifteenth birthday, her mom got her a deck and duel disk. Serenity was the happiest she had ever been since Battle City._

_Unfortunately, that happiness didn't last long. People kept challenging her to duels because she was "Joey's little sister." She lost almost every duel. The ones she won were mainly by chance, and always ended the same way. Her opponent always scoffed and said, "You're nowhere NEAR as good as your brother. Stop trying to get on his level!"_

_Serenity wasn't entirely sure why, but she slowly started to develop hatred towards Joey. Even though the siblings barely saw each other, she hated that she was always in his shadow. Serenity was Joey's whole world. But people just couldn't seem to understand that even though she was related to Joey, she wasn't as good of a duelist as him._

_After losing yet another duel, Serenity sat outside of a cafe in the rain as she waited for her mom to come and pick her up from her job. It was nighttime. Serenity looked at her watch. 7:32 PM. Her shift ended over an hour ago, and no matter how much she asked for extra time, her boss wouldn't give it to her. Thunder cracked and lightning flashed through the sky as it continued to pour. Serenity sighed as she watched the rain fall. _

_A few minutes later, she heard the sound of a motor and saw a big, bright light get closer and closer. She held her hand in front of her eyes until the light died down. "What are you doing here?" a male voice asked in an Australian accent. When the light died down, Serenity saw a boy with big, brown, spiky hair, blue eyes, shoulder pads, elbow pads, knee pads, and hand pads. In a way, he resembled a walking suit of armor. "Wait, I know you! You're that Wheeler bloke's sister, Serenity!"_

_"What's it to you?" Serenity asked with a bit of harshness in her voice._

_"Not much, really. Just heard about this great coffee shop and wanted to check it out. Didn't think you worked here, though. Thought you'd be with your brother or something."_

_"Well, you're out of luck. My shift ended over an hour ago, and the shop closes in ten minutes."_

_"Too bad, then. Say, how about a duel?"_

_"Duel?"_

_"Sure, why not? You're clearly not your brother; I can see that. So, come on, then. Show me what you're made of." The boy activated his duel disk and set his lifepoint counter at four thousand._

_Serenity sighed. On one hand, anything was better than just sitting around doing nothing. On the other hand, she didn't really want to have to deal with being compared to her brother. But the guy seemed nice, so she shrugged and smiled as she stood up. "Sure," Serenity said. "You're on." She opened up her bag and took out her deck and duel disk. The game began._

_The duel didn't last long, but Serenity did manage to put up a small fight against Valon's challenging deck. In the end, she lost. Serenity cursed under her breath and sighed. "I just want to stop being compared to my brother," Serenity muttered angrily. She clenched her hands into fists._

_"What you want," the boy said, "is to be your own person. To have true power and stand on your own. I can help you. But you have to start thinking more about yourself and believing in yourself, and stop focusing on your brother. All he's done is disappoint you. I have the answer to all your problems. Just take my hand." The boy extended a hand to Serenity. After a moment's hesitation, Serenity took the boy's hand. They walked over to the boy's motorcycle and he handed Serenity a helmet before he helped her sit on the back of the bike. "Name's Valon, by the way."_

_"Cool."_

_The bike ride was a silent one as Valon went at a speed that was fast enough for him, but slow enough for Serenity to get used to, given that it was probably her first time riding a motorcycle. After a series of twists and turns (most of which Serenity was pretty sure were illegal), they had finally arrived at their destination. It was a tall building with windows surrounding every inch of it. Valon helped Serenity, who was shaking a little from the ride, off of the bike. He helped her take off her helmet and the two of them walked into the building. Valon walked up to an elevator and pushed the button that would bring the elevator that would take him and Serenity to the top. They didn't have to wait at all; the elevator came the second Valon pushed the button. The two got on the elevator and rode up to the top._

_When they arrived at the top floor, Valon led Serenity through a series of passageways. This place, whatever it was, felt like a maze. "How do you not get lost here?" Serenity asked after yet another left turn._

_"Great practice," Valon replied. "Anyway, here we are." Valon opened a red door with a gold handle. He held it open for Serenity, who gasped when she saw what kind of room was behind the door. It looked old. REALLY old. Like something that would be in a museum. There were walls that had people engraved on each tile, and three giant statues of serpent heads. Serenity looked around and noticed a man with long, light blue hair who wore white robes that looked like they were from a really long time ago was standing in front of one of the serpent heads._

_The man turned around and said, "We have a visitor." Serenity instinctively took a step back. "Ah, yes, I know who you are. Valon," he looked past Serenity to talk to Valon, "leave us. There is much I have to discuss with Serenity."_

_Valon nodded and walked out of the room. "How do you know who I am?" Serenity asked with fear evident in her voice. "Is it my brother again?"_

_Dartz laughed to himself. "Yes and no," he answered. "I know of your brother, but you...I know a little bit more about. I know that you wish to be your own person and stand on your own. No longer will the outside world torment you for being someone you aren't. They will no longer be able to compare you to anyone. You will be incomparable."_

_"How do you know all of this?"_

_"You just did, Serenity. It's all in your eyes."_

_Images of Joey walking away from Serenity after the little time they got to spend together played through Serenity's head as she fell to her knees. More images of people jeering at her and saying that she never was or would be as good at anything as her brother. "I just...I just want to be stronger. I want to be my own person," Serenity begged._

_"And you will," Dartz promised. "Your brother, your brother's friends...even your own friends. They've all turned on you. You will be incomparable."_

_"What do I have to do?"_

_"Surrender your weak side." Dartz raised a hand and put two fingers in the center of Serenity's forehead. Serenity closed her eyes. The Seal of his cloak sent bolts of power that surprised Serenity at first, but she allowed the energy to flow through her body. When the process was finished, she felt stronger than she ever had. She opened her eyes, which now had a reddish tint to them. The Seal of Orichalcos appeared on her forehead. Serenity stood up with a look of anger and determination on her face. "Welcome to our family. From now on, you serve the Orichalcos." Serenity nodded. "Walk to the third serpent's head. Your new deck awaits." Serenity walked over to the third serpent's head and noticed a new duel disk with a deck inside of it. She took the duel disk and fastened it to her arm before she drew two cards from the deck. The first card was the Seal of Orichalcos. The second card was Judgement Dragon. "Use those to take out those who dare to compare you. You will take your brother out soon enough." Serenity nodded again._

**~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~END OF FLASHBACK~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~**_  
_

"Hello," Valon said through the other end of the phone conversation. "Serenity? Hello?"

"What?" Serenity asked as she was taken out of her thoughts. "Yeah, I'm here. Sorry; I spaced out for a second."

"What's up?"

"I need your advice about something."

"Advice? Look, Alister's the smart one out of all of us. How come you're not-"

"If he's flying a plane really, really high in the air, do you honestly think a phone call from here would get through to the plane?"

"Point taken. So talk."

"You wouldn't happen to know why Dartz is just making me sit around and do nothing all the time, would you?"

"Sorry."

Serenity sighed. "I'm BORED. I don't even get to duel! I want to do something!"

"Well, you're in luck. Remember that girl you dueled? Luna?"

"Yeah, what about her?"

"Well, we've sighted her friend. Apparently, her friend's out for revenge. How about we go after her? She's travelling with your brother."

Serenity smiled. "Perfect."

* * *

**A/N: OK. I know this chapter was more than a little bit choppy. However, I really, really, really wanted to introduce my next OC, and I wanted to show some more character development on Serenity's part. I don't know how long it'll be til the next update, because...I'M GOING TO THE WIZARDING WORLD OF HARRY POTTER FOR MY 18TH BIRTHDAY! Yay! So since this is the last week of school before winter break for me, I'll have tons of tests and stuff, so I won't be able to write that much. If I can update over break, I will. So this update is kind of like an early birthday present for me. R&R! ~kanna**

**ONE MORE THING: I changed the title from Blaze to 1000年、ずっとそばにいって (in romaji, it's 1000-nen, zutto soba ni itte), which is the name of SHINee's new Japanese single. In English, it means 1000 Years, Always By Your Side. I just felt like this title fit more than the other one.**


	7. IMPORTANT AUTHOR'S NOTE! PLEASE READ!

**IMPORTANT**

**I feel so, so, so very awful for keeping you waiting like this! My readers! I feel horrible!**

**Unfortunately, I have had A TON of drama going on. Not necessarily the good kind of drama, either. It made me lose my motivation to keep working on this story. No worries, though! I am now motivated and ready to go! The good news, is that things should be getting less hectic soon! I can't wait!**

**I also feel awful for being unable to review a bunch of everyone's stories. For whatever reason, FF hasn't been emailing me about ANYTHING. Seriously, I've emailed them twice about it, and nothing has changed.**

**In the mean time, the next chapter is going to be up soon! Look forward to it!**

**Also, I've decided to hold a card design contest! Blaise needs a deck! So here's what you have to do!**

**Your mission (should you choose to accept it):**

**Give me the names of one monster card, one magic card, and one trap card. THE CARDS MUST BE ORIGINAL! You can list how many of each card should be in Blaise's deck, as long as it's a number between one and three. Here is your format for monster cards:**

**CARD TYPE: Monster (Effect/Normal/Fusion/Ritual) NOTE THAT FUSION AND RITUAL MONSTERS ARE A LITTLE LESS LIKELY TO MAKE IT IN THAN NORMAL/EFFECT MONSTERS. THAT DOES NOT MEAN THAT I WILL NOT ACCEPT THEM. ALL IT MEANS IS THAT THEY MIGHT NOT BE INCLUDED RIGHT AWAY.**

**CARD NAME:  
**

**APPEARANCE: Basically the image of the monster  
**

**STARS: **

**CARD EFFECT/DESCRIPTION:****  
**

**HOW MANY IN DECK: number greater than or equal to one, but less than or equal to three**

**The format is just a little bit different for magic and trap cards. It will look like this:**

**CARD TYPE: Magic (normal/quickplay/equip/continuous/field/ritual) or Trap (normal/counter/continuous)**

**CARD NAME:**

**APPEARANCE: image on card**

**CARD EFFECT:**

**HOW MANY IN DECK: number greater than or equal to one, but less than or equal to three**

**I'd prefer cards given to me through a message, but it's okay if they're put through a review. Blaise's deck is probably going to be a Dark deck (possibly Dark World) or a Fire-attribute/Warrior deck. Just stuff to keep in mind.**

**Good luck!**

**~kanna**


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